THE Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) here is set to complete the release of all financial assistance to victims of typhoon Frank this November, both to beneficiaries of dead victims and injured who were hospitalized for five days and above.

OCD regional director Rosario Cabrera said the National Disaster and Coordinating Council (NDCC) has already provided funds to 70 percent of the beneficiaries of those who died while the document for the injured victims have just started to come in.

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PRESIDENTIAL Assistant for Western Visayas Raul Banias admitted that the reduction of the Western Visayas rehabilitation fund from P15 billion to P10.4 billion will affect the rehabilitation program lined up by various local governments relative to impact of the onslaught of typhoon Frank recently.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Rolando Andaya reportedly advised Banias that the rehabilitation fund will not exceed P10.5 billion. The downsizing of the supplemental budget was attributed to the ongoing global crisis.

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FROM the proposed P15 billion, Region 6’s typhoon rehabilitation fund will be scaled down to P10 billion because of the global financial crisis.

No less than the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) advised the downsizing of the fund, said Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Raul Banias.

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THE House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations has started the public hearing on the proposed P15-billion Panay Rehabilitation Fund.

According to House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor Sr. (3rd District), the public hearing began on September 8.

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THE city government here is identifying measures to reduce risks during disasters and avoid the devastation similar to what Typhoon Frank brought when it ravaged Panay Island a month ago.

Engr. Noel Hechanova, City Environment and Natural Resources Officer, said the initiative will begin by engaging the community in disaster preparations.

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HOUSE Majority Leader Arthur Defensor of Iloilo’s 3rd District has asked Congress to pass a P15-billion supplemental budget to finance the rehabilitation and reconstruction of typhoon-ravaged Western Visayas.

The 15-billion fund proposed under House Bill 4824 will finance continuing relief operations, the reconstruction and the rehabilitation of the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras and Negros Occidental, and the cities of Iloilo and Bacolod, Defensor explained in a statement posted on the House website.

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Crossing party lines, Ionggo leaders have closed ranks to rebuild Panay Island from the damages of Typhoon “Frank” which struck on June 21.

Among the main concerns is the source of funds for the reconstruction of damage and the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of flood victims.

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THE Department of Agriculture has allocated P232.6 million for rehabilitation of the rice, corn and fisheries sub-sectors in the Western Visayas region that were hit hard by Typhoon “Frank” last month, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said.

Agriculture and fisheries losses in the region because of the typhoon exceeded P3.37 billion, he said.

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THE proposed early warning system is meant to protect the Iloilo Flood Control Project (IFCP), according to an environment official.

Community Environment and Natural Resources officer Bernabe Garnace said the system will complement and protect the multibillion IFCP which aims to mitigate flooding in Metro Iloilo area.

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Government agencies need a P15-billion rehabilitation fund for areas in Panay Island ravaged by Typhoon “Frank.”

Raul Banias, presidential assistant for Western Visayas, said the fund would likely come from a special allocation from Congress similar to the P800-million fund allocated for response and rehabilitation for areas devastated by the Petron oil spill in Guimaras.

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