COTABATO GOVERNOR Nancy A. Catamco has ordered local government units (LGUs) and the Provincial Rehabilitation Task Force to fast-track the completion of data on affected families and damages from the series of earthquakes last year to pave the way for the recovery program’s implementation. In a statement on Tuesday, Ms. Catamco said the validated data is necessary to access the P5 billion fund allocated by the national government for the rehabilitation of earthquake-hit areas in the regions of Davao and South Cotabato-Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-General Santos City (Soccsksargen). Among the most affected areas are Makilala town in Cotabato and Matanao in Davao del Sur. “The provincial government wants to begin with the recovery and rehabilitation phase in Makilala but we have to complete and submit the correct data,” the governor said following a coordination meeting on Jna. 20 held at the office of Makilala Mayor Armando M. Quibod.

DEADLINE
“(The) National Housing Authority gave us the deadline to complete all the data needed before January 27… specifically the list and names of affected households and other damage reports, so that we can finalize our rehabilitation and recovery plan and proceed with this much delayed intervention,” she said. She also warned that “if LGUs could not complete and submit the data needed on prescribed timeline, it is impossible for them to receive any assistance from national line agencies.” Data from the national disaster management council as of January 10 show over 150,000 families composed of more than 700,000 people in the different regions have been affected by the earthquakes that struck Mindanao from October to December. — MSJ

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