61,196 ‘Yolanda’ survivors in E. Visayas to get shelter aid

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 2 (PNA) -- The Eastern Visayas region has 61,196 claimants of the PHP5,000 financial aid meant for those who were left out during the distribution of emergency shelter assistance (ESA), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has confirmed.

DSWD regional director, Restituto Macuto, said the list of additional claimants was based on the information provided by people’s organizations, such as the People Surge.

“All of them were listed before Nov. 8, 2016 and they are entitled to receive the ESA, as validated by our agency,” Macuto said.

He clarified that those who have already received assistance from the government, such as housing assistance, are not allowed to receive the ESA, however, those who have received assistance from private organizations may still receive the PHP5,000 cash aid.

Those who are living in areas declared as no-build zones and are not recipients of any assistance from the government will also receive the shelter assistance, he added.

The DSWD will no longer conduct on-site validation, rather they will re-check the spelling of names to avoid any problem during the actual distribution.

“If their names are not spelled correctly, we might have a problem in the issuance of checks,” Macuto explained.

The DSWD is set to distribute the ESA to more than 194,000 recipients in all 'Yolanda'-hit areas in the central Philippines before the end of March.

Before Feb. 10, the field office will send the list of names with correct spelling to their central office.

Between 2013 and 2015, the government had distributed PHP30,000 in ESA for each family whose house was totally damaged and PHP10,000 for each family whose house was partially damaged.(PNA)
CVL/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR