ALBAY 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman on Monday thanked Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Tingog Party-list, and Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Sec. Rex Gatchalian for facilitating the release of a total of P33 million worth of in cash and in kind assistance to Albay amid the rumblings of Mayon Volcano that has forced the evacuation of residents living in the permanent danger zone.

“I thank Speaker Martin Romualdez and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian for ensuring the timely assistance to evacuees and other affected families in the wake of Mayon’s volcanic outbursts,” Lagman said.

“The people of the First District of Albay join me in expressing our deep appreciation for their prompt and generous assistance in our time of need,” Lagman added

Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre said on Sunday that P1 million worth of assistance was allocated to each of the three districts of Albay.

The affected areas are the 1st District, under Rep. Edcel Lagman; 2nd District, under Rep. Joey Salceda; and 3rd District, under Rep. Fernando Cabredo. The assistance from the Speaker’s office will be coursed through their respective offices.

The P1 million assistance for each of the district is broken down into P500,000 in cash and P500,000 worth of relief packs from Speaker Romualdez’s personal disaster response fund.

Before dawn Sunday, hundreds of volunteers trooped to PureGold-Embarkadero in Legazpi, Albay to repack and prepare relief goods for the displaced families. About 1,420 relief packs for each district were readied for distribution.

On top of this, the Speaker’s office coordinated with Gatchalian so that P10 million worth of assistance would be released to each district through the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ryan Ponce Pacpaco