BUTUAN CITY- A total of Php103,230,000 was disbursed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Caraga as it completed the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) payout for the families affected by the 6.7 earthquake that jolted Surigao del Norte on February 10, 2017.

The last payout conducted by the agency was on May 31, 2017 in Surigao City through the Disaster Response and Assistance Management Unit (DReAMU).

The following is the breakdown for the total amount distributed: Php68,706,000 for Surigao City, Php9,723,000 for Anao-aon, Php5,677,000 for Mainit, Php7,069,000 for Sison, and Php12,055,000 for Malimono.

With this payout, a total of 10,084 families were able to receive the cash assistance intended to repair their damaged houses caused by the earthquake.

The families whose houses were partially damaged received Php10,000 while families whose houses were totally damaged received Php30,000. This money will be used to buy materials intended to build their damage houses. To ensure that the cash assistance is duly spent for purchase of shelter materials, a receipt should be provided upon DSWD staff’s request. This will become the basis for the cash-for-work assistance.

However, families with totally damaged houses in Surigao City received Php24,000 only because the LGU already augmented Php6,000 for each family.

For unclaimed cash assistance, the families are encouraged to claim the money during the cash-for-work payout.

ESA is a cash grant provided to families whose houses are either totally or partially damaged. It may be released in cash or in the form of construction materials, dependent on the situation favourable to the beneficiaries and the timelines set for the project implementation

The listing of ESA beneficiaries was based on the terminal report submitted to DSWD by the Local Government Unit (LGU) who identified the eligible recipient of the said cash grant. The list underwent a thorough validation process of beneficiaries before conducting the payout. ###(ABEGAIL R. ALVAREZ/Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Field Office Caraga)