The Davao de Oro provincial government has turned over PHP1 million in financial assistance to the families badly affected by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng last month in Maguindanao.

In a statement Wednesday, Governor Dorothy Gonzaga said the aid was delivered on Dec. 5 by representatives of the Davao de Oro Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and Provincial Social and Welfare Development Office.

Apart from the cash assistance, the province also provided food and non-food items consisting of 100 sacks of rice and 30 rolls of plastic canvas from Apex Mining Company.

“This is one way of telling our brothers and sisters in Maguindanao that despite the calamities, the province of Davao de Oro is always ready to help in the best way we can,” Gonzaga said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Cyrus Torreña, the provincial administrator who represented Maguindanao Governor Bai Marriam Sangki-Mangudadatu during the event, said the financial assistance will be used to help the affected families build their homes.

Maguindanao, a province component of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), is among the severely hit areas in the country during the onslaught of Paeng last month.

Data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council showed a total of 215,961 families or 1,077,338 individuals directly affected by Paeng in BARMM.

The calamity also left 68 persons dead, 169 injured and 13 missing in the region. (PNA)