SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA — The provincial government of Antique initiated a revalidation of families affected by El Niño on Thursday to facilitate targeted assistance.
According to Philippines News Agency, officer-in-charge of the Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the revalidation process is led by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office. This comes in response to a significant increase in affected families, with numbers rising from 12,552 families on April 15 to 53,099 families as of April 25. The provincial board has allocated PHP10 million from the Quick Response Fund to support these families, with half designated for individuals in crisis and the remainder for essential supplies like mobile water tanks.
The revalidation aims to ensure that aid reaches those most in need, particularly in barangays that lack water for drinking and hygiene. The Bureau of Fire Protection and the Philippine National Police have also been allocated fuel for water rationing efforts in affected areas. Emergency procurement processes are underway to deliver 63 mobile water tanks to the prioritized barangays, especially those in Sibalom, the first town to declare a state of calamity due to the crisis.