THE Government Service Insurance System approved the grant of emergency loans for members in Negros Oriental who were affected by the strong earthquake that hit the province on February 6.

“We are looking at more than 8,000 members who are eligible under the Emergency Loan Program and we have allocated P164 billion for them,” Robert G. Vergara, President and General Manager, said.

Qualified members can get the P20,000-Emergency Loan from February 8 to March 9 in any of the 11 GSIS kiosks, deployed throughout Negros Oriental, using either their UMID card or temporary card. 

The kiosks are located in the following areas — Provincial Capitol; Department of Education-Capitol Area; GSIS Dumaguete Office; Bayawan City Hall; Bais City Hall; Guinhulngan City Hall; Kanlaon City Hall; Tanjay City Hall; and Siaton City Hall.

Members who do not have a UMID Card but who are eligible to apply for the loan can apply over-the-counter (OTC) at the GSIS Dumaguete Branch office. 

Members entitled to the loan are the following:  bona fide employees of the agency located in the calamity area or residents of the calamity area; in active service and not on leave of absence without pay; have no pending criminal or administrative charges; have no arrearages in the payment of mandatory social insurance contributions; and have no loan that has been declared in default.

Also, the agency of the member-applicant must not be suspended because of non-payment and non-remittance of premiums and loans.

The pension fund has reduced the interest rate for its emergency loan from eight percent to six percent and would no longer charge a one percent service fee for the loan. It has also extended the payment of the first amortization from one month to three months.

The Department of Public Works and Highways has sent teams of bridge experts and structural engineers to the earthquake-stricken areas to assess the damage.

DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson dispatched composite teams of bridge and building experts and structural engineers from the DPWH Bureaus of Design, Construction, and, Research and Standards to earthquake-stricken areas to undertake an assessment on the extent of damage to public infrastructure, particularly, national roads and bridges and to check on the structural integrity and stability of these structures.

Singson ordered immediate restoration works to be initiated immediately to open up the impassable national roads to traffic.

“We have to open up these national roads to facilitate the flow of emergency relief services and operations to these earthquake-stricken areas,” he said.

In a travel memorandum signed by Undersecretary Raul Asis, six composite teams of engineers were directed to undertake inspection of public buildings and bridges along national roads in Central and Western Visayas.

The DPWH also ordered DPWH field engineers and maintenance crew to undertake ocular inspection on the whole stretch of national roads affected by the recent earthquake in the said regions.

As part of the government’s quick response mechanism, the Department of Agriculture has immediately positioned farm inputs ready for distribution to farmers affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Visayas Monday morning.

DA Secretary Proceso Alcala said that the agency has readied 1,000 bags of certified palay seeds along with 100 bags of open pollinated corn seeds and 2,000 packets of assorted vegetable seeds.

Alcala, who joined President Aquino during a visit in Negros Occidental and other affected areas affected by the earthquake, said that the damage to agriculture was initially on irrigation facilities especially communal irrigation systems (CISs).

Reports from the DA’s National Irrigation Administration showed that 22 CISs were damaged, 17 of which are located in Region 7 (Central Visayas) and five in Region 6 (Western Visayas).

Damage to irrigation facilities, mostly CIS, was placed by NIA at some P63 million. Five facilities in Region VI require P 2.72 million to be repaired while 17 facilities in Region VII will need some P 60.3 million.

Initial report from local government units in Region VII showed that about 800 hectares of rice and 1,500 hectares of corn in the province of Negros Oriental were affected. Lee Ann P. Ducusin, Joel dela Torre