Makati pledges P50M for Yolanda-affected towns

MANILA, Philippines – Funds from the Makati City’s Quick Response Fund will be sent to various towns devastated by Typhoon Yolanda (international codename: Haiyan).

In a statement, Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said the P50 million will be taken from the city’s Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management budget. The money will be used to provide assistance to typhoon survivors in the provinces of Samar, Leyte, and Cebu.

“We join the nation and the rest of the world in prayer as we move in unison to get them on the road to recovery and rehabilitation,” Binay said in the statement.

Makati has also sent a rescue team to Tacloban City in Leyte and to Samar, according to the mayor’s father, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Nearly a month ago when a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Central Visayas, the city also sent a rescue team in Loon, Bohol.

Binay also urged Makati locals to help with relief operations at the covered courts of Barangay Poblacion. Donations are also welcome at the venue.

Makati’s announcement comes after over P 3-billion in foreign aid came pouring in. The Palace promised transparency in accounting for all the donations.

Makati, the richest local government unit in the country, is known for having a number of “sister cities,” which it has helped in times of calamities. It was not clear in the statement which of the Yolanda-hit areas are among its partner local government units. – Bea Cupin/Rappler.com

The covered court of Barangay Poblacion is located along JP Rizal Street, across the street from the Makati Museum and Poblacion Barangay Hall. For inquiries, call the MSWD at telephone number 870-1722.