'Spending millions to save lives is worth it'- Gov. Tubban during visit to landslide victims

Pugong, Pasil – “Nu mabalin ket awan mapukaw nga biyag uray maysa… Nagsakit ti nakem tayu nu adda mapukaw nga maysa nga biyag… Maymayat pay nga uray aggastos ka iti manu nga milyon-milyon, huwag lang nga adda mapukaw nga maysa nga biyag,” said Governor Ferdinand Tubban to 2018 landslide victims in Pasil.

Tubban stressed this during the distribution of financial assistance to 48 families in Sitio Yogyog, Pugong, Pasil, whose houses were destroyed by a massive landslide when Typhoon Rosita hit the province in 2018.

Tubban lauded the disaster management of Pasil LGU in evacuating the residents of Sitio Yogyog before the disaster happened.

Residents said the village soil had been saturated by heavy rains during the typhoon that sank the area on November 11, 2018 - 9 days after Typhoon Rosita hit the province.

According to Pasil Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, at least 48 families lost their houses from the landslide, but fortunatley, reported no casualties.

Tubban explained delay of funds

Tubban, who was the Mayor of Tabuk in 2018, said that the delay of funds may be attributed to late reporting from the affected barangay or municipal office. He added that sometimes it can be caused by a long process which the provincial government, especially in asking for funds from the national government.

“Isunga dakkel ti effect na dagidyay wennu importansya na… Apo barangay officials, nu mabalin, basta nu adda dagita kalkalamidad, automatic agaramid kayo iti report. I-submit yu idyay munisipyo, and then ni munisipyo met i-submit da idyay province, isu met laeng ti i-submit mi…” Tubban said, relating to the 14 million fund for damaged infrastructures during Typhoon Lawin and Umpong that was just released last year.

Tubban explained that the 48 families included in the financial assistance worth P1 million were based on the report of the municipal’s office.

Initially, the purpose for the P1 million typhoon aid was to purchase a piece of land as a relocation site for the victim families, but this requires a long process of releasing the fund, according to Pasil MDRRMO.

Tubban said that since the process takes long, they conducted a series of meeting with the barangay officials and finally agreed to change the proposal to financial assistance.

Yesterday, January 12, 2022, 48 families received their first tranche of financial relief worth P10,000 each. The next release of their last batch of financial aid, which is of the same amount, will be in February this year, according to Pasil MDRRMO.

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