Valenzuela City on October 24 sent a humanitarian contingent to San Antonio, Nueva Ecija where residents are still reeling from the ravages of typhoon Lando (international name: Koppu).

The effort came after the Metro Manila Development Authority on October 21 enjoined the 17 local government units in the region to adopt 18 municipalities in Luzon, or help in their recovery from the damages of the typhoon. Valenzuela City chose San Antonio, which has been its sister city since 2014.

The Valenzuela City contingent brought with them 5,000 packs of rice and canned goods.  A total of 45, 124 persons or 8,979 families were affected in San Antonio, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has reported.

In 2013, also under the MMDA’s “adopt-a-town” scheme, Valenzuela City adopted the Samar municipalities of Basey and Marabut in the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan). Members of the relief mission distributed 18,400 packs of food and Php1.3 million worth of medicines and built bunkhouses from lonas or plastic fabric.

Meanwhile, the City Social Welfare and Development Office has proposed to the City Council a Php10.10-million financial aid for 24 more local governments devastated by Lando and  lumad indigenous people who have been displaced by violence in Surigao del Sur.

The 24 local governments are: La Trinidad and the Benguet provincial government; Dagupan City, the municipalities of Bani, Binalonan, Mangatarem and Sta. Barbara, and the Pangasinan provincial government; Tuguegarao City, the municipality of Pamplona, and the provincial government of Cagayan; Iligan City and the Isabela provincial government; the municipalities of Baler, Casiguran, Dinalungan, San Luis, Ma. Aurora, Dilasag and the Aurora provincial government; the municipalities of San Miguel, Calumpit and Hagonoy in Bulacan; Cabanatuan  City,  the municipalities of Cabiao, Jaen, San Leonardo,  Talavera and the Nueva Ecija provincial government.

The NDRRMC has reported that typhoon Lando affected 2,733, 294 persons or 630, 602 families in the Cordillera Autonomous Region, Regions I, II, III, IV-A, and the National Capital Region. It left in its wake 47 dead, 83 injured, 4 missing and Php9.88 billion worth of damages in infrastructure and agriculture.