Residents in Ilocos Norte who were heavily affected by Typhoon Ineng (Bailu) last August will soon get rice aid courtesy of the Japanese government.

Ilocos Norte suffered extensive damage amounting around PHP231.6 million in public infrastructure, work animals, farmlands, and water resources, which placed the area under a state of calamity on August 24, 2019.

On October 5, a portion of the 16,667 bags of emergency rice assistance was distributed to typhoon victims in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.

“The rice assistance is being extended to victims of Typhoon Ineng covering two cities and five towns of the province,” said Corazon Lilian Celia Rin, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office in an interview on Monday.

Rin said the emergency rice assistance came from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries through the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) that was coursed through the National Food Authority (NFA) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

APTERR is a regional cooperation established in 2004 to ensure food security in an emergency caused by temporary and large-scale calamities.

Rin said at least one cavan at thirty kilograms each will be distributed to the 1,279 beneficiaries pre-identified by the social welfare office.

On behalf of the Ilocano beneficiaries, Rin expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for their assistance to the typhoon victims. (PNA)