MANILA - Victims or not, all employees of the House of Representatives received on Monday P5,000 cash assistance to help them recover from the wrath of tropical storm Ondoy.
 
"It's calamity assistance for House employees and staff. It's for themselves or for their relatives stormed out. Even Congress Village was under water and around the Batasan, where most of our employees live. We can only assist that much because there are more than 3,000 employees of the house,"  House Speaker Prospero Nograles said.
 
At 3,000 employees, the cash assistance amounts to at least P15 million.
 
"Many of them lost everything, our own Congressville subdivision was under water,” Nograles said.
 
Parts of the Batasan Complex were also flooded prompting the House of Representatives to cancel the committee hearings and the session on Monday.

More for victims

For House employees who are actual victims, another voluntary fund drive was launched to solicit at least P20,000 cash donation from each congressmen. Efforts are being coordinated by House secretary-general Marilyn Yap.
 
In addition, Nograles said, "Sagip Eskwela will also start next week for the repair and rehabilitation of schools."
 
Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga also filed on Tuesday House Resolution No. 1433 requesting members of the House of Representatives to each donate P1 milliom from their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to victims of tropical storm Ondoy.
 
"As representatives of the people, it is earnestly requested that the amount of P1 million from the PDAF of each congressman be donated to the victims of Typhoon Ondoy," his resolution says.