About a thousand victims of a recent flooding in the Davao Region received aid from Senators Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano meant to help them recover from the calamity’s aftermath.
In a recent back-to-back visit to the Region, the sibling senators’ Emergency Response Department (ERD) team worked with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to distribute assistance through the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS).
On September 14, 2023, a total of 300 flood victims in Digos City, Davao del Sur benefited from the program which was conducted in coordination with Davao del Sur Lone District Representative John Tracy Cagas.
In Pantukan, Davao de Oro, almost 700 flood victims were given assistance on September 15.
One of the beneficiaries in Pantukan was 25-year-old Christopher Aguimat, whose house was completely destroyed and rendered uninhabitable by the flood that hit their area in July.
“Nagtrabaho po kami para kami maka-survive at maitayo [ulit] ang bahay namin. Tapos nabalitaan po namin na may ayuda mula kay Senator Alan Cayetano at Senator Pia,” Aguimat said.
Thanking the sibling senators, he said he will use the assistance to rebuild their home.
“Ipangpapagawa po namin ng kung ano pong kulang pa namin sa bahay, kasi nag-start pa lang po kaming magbuo ng bahay,” he said.
Olivia Tolentino, a resident of Digos City, also expressed gratitude for the aid she received, which she said is a “huge help” for a widow like her.
“Nag-iisa po ako sa buhay. Ako lang ang mag-isang nagtataguyod sa tatlo kong anak,” she said.
The Cayetanos’ ERD initiative is part of their “Bayanihan Caravan,” a program through which they extend various forms of assistance to needy Filipinos and vulnerable sectors across the country in coordination with different government agencies and local government units.
