News Release
February 8, 2012

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Social Justice Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan is set to release funds from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of his office to help rehabilitate badly damaged parts of Negros that were hit by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on Monday.

“Our prayers go out to the victims of the earthquake in Negros and the rest of the Visayas. We are coordinating assistance with local officials in the area,” Pangilinan said via Twitter on Tuesday morning.

He adds, “In times of need, we must do what we can in our capacity as a public servant to help our countrymen.”

Pangilinan allocated from the PDAF of his office last year for the rehabilitation of flooded areas in Bulacan and Pampanga that were badly hit by typhoons Pedring and Quiel. On Tuesday, he called on the Department of Education to include in the school curriculum a disaster preparedness subject.

“In Japan, they educate their people about disaster preparedness. We must do the same here where we already know we are prone to flash floods and earthquakes. We must do all we can to mitigate the damaging effects of natural disasters.”

Image Source: Inquirer.net