Iloilo City mayor eyes calamity fund for rebuilding over 6,000 typhoon-damaged houses

ILOILO CITY Mayor Jerry P. Treñas has called for a council meeting on Tuesday to put the city under a state of calamity, which would allow for the release of emergency funds to help over 6,000 homeowners whose properties were damaged by typhoon Odette last week.

Under the law, a state of calamity declaration requires approval of the local council.

In a post on his Facebook page, Mr. Treñas said the calamity fund will be used to “provide financial assistance to all victims categorized with totally damaged and partially damaged houses, and financial assistance to the lone casualty of the effects of the typhoon.”

The city disaster management office has tallied 440 totally destroyed houses and 5,768 that were partially damaged as of Dec. 19.

The mayor also appealed to telecommunication companies to expedite infrastructure repairs as phone and internet services in the city remained unstable as of Monday morning.

He said power and water services have already been restored. — MSJ