Capitol set to manage tent cities in quake-hit areas

Local

ROWS of white tents still stand as a daily reminder of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Cebu last month.

Soon, the Cebu Provincial Government will take full charge of these temporary shelters in Bogo City, San Remigio, and Medellin.

Cebu Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces said preparations are ongoing for the gradual turnover of management from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine Red Cross, which have been overseeing the sites since the quake.

“Gradually i-turn over na sa national DSWD ang management sa camp sa provincial social development apil na ang sa Red Cross,” he said.

Empaces said the DSWD will begin turning over the management of the camps to the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) starting October 25, including coordination with the Red Cross.

Empaces added that the PSWDO will lead the transition and deploy additional personnel, noting that they plan to augment their manpower and hire job order staff.

The Capitol expects to formalize the full turnover by October 30 once staffing and operational arrangements are finalized.

Data from DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian show that around 1,227 families remain in the tent cities.

To sustain the ongoing recovery efforts, the Capitol has proposed a P542.3-million Trust Fund for rehabilitation and resiliency projects in the quake-affected northern towns.

The plan allots P238 million for bridge and road restoration, P49 million for food, non-food, and hygiene supplies, P51 million for mobile kitchens, P20 million for agricultural recovery, and P15 million for livestock and poultry rehabilitation.

It also includes P14 million each for rescue equipment and for furnishing the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Command Center in Bogo.

Other allocations include P64.2 million for mobile clinics, ambulances, and emergency vehicles; P5.5 million for container houses; P50 million for sea ambulances; P10 million for rentals of vehicles and sea ambulances; P1.1 million for water supply equipment; and P6 million for repairs of government facilities.

Empaces said the total amount reaches P542,302,392.95, sourced from the Capitol’s accumulated Quick Response Funds (QRF) from 2020 to 2024, P371 million from budgetary allocations for 2025, and P134.6 million allocations from the Office of the President, private individuals, organizations, and local government units.

He said total donations amount to P134,611,077.73, with P50 million coming from the Office of the President and P84.6 million from private entities and local governments.

He added that the Trust Fund follows Governor Pamela Baricuatro’s directive for a structured and transparent recovery framework guided by three key approaches.

These include preparedness, relief assistance, and recovery and rehabilitation.

The province’s rehabilitation framework, called Kumbati Cebu, establishes the Provincial Rehabilitation and Recovery Council (PRRC) or the Kumbati Cebu Task Force, which will coordinate all reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts across the province.(MyTVCebu)