DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/24 February)– The City Government of Davao will donate a total of P3.6 million to nine areas in Mindanao that were ravaged by Tropical Storm Basyang early this month.

This after the 21st City Council of Davao approved, under suspended rules during a regular session on Tuesday, ordinances authorizing Mayor Sebastian Durterte to utilize 30% of the Quick Response Fund (QRF) out of the 5% Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (DRRMF) of the local government for the year as financial assistance to storm-hit areas.

Out of the total, the city will donate P1 million to the provincial government of Surigao del Sur; P500,000 to the City of Iligan in Lanao del Norte; and P300,000 each to the municipalities of Lanuza, Cortes, Madrid, Bayabas, Cagwait, Carmen, and San Miguel, Surigao del Sur.

“By practice and tradition, even during the time of President Rodrigo Duterte, without any preferences of political affiliation, religion, bisan kalaban sa poltika (even political enemies), we give disaster assistance to any LGUs here in the Philippines,” he said.

The budget for financial aid will be sourced from P235,203,855 DRRMF-QRF of the local government, which serves as a standby fund in case of emergencies.

According to a report released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on February 10, Basyang affected 182,352 families, or 645,612 persons, across 1,285 barangays in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The agency also reported that the storm left 12 dead and 36 injured in its wake.

It also damaged a total of 1,373 houses, according to the NDRRMC. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)