The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday (October 6) deployed its third and fourth mobile kitchens to serve hot meals to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in quake-stricken towns of Daanbantayan and Medellin in Cebu province.
The mobile kitchen from the DSWD’s Field Office CALABARZON arrived in Cebu on Sunday (October 5) and is currently in Medellin. The mobile kitchen from DSWD Field Office Eastern Visayas, which arrived early Monday (October 6), is now in Daanbatayan.
DSWD mobile kitchens are also stationed in Bogo City and in San Remigio town.
More IDPs will be served with hot meals and home-cooked food as the mobile kitchen from DSWD Field Office 10-Northern Mindanao is en route and expected to arrive in Cebu the latest on Tuesday (October 7).
As instructed by Secretary Rex Gatchalian for a ‘one DSWD disaster response approach’ to better respond to the IDPs of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake, DSWD Field Offices CALABARZON, Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, and Northern Mindanao committed to send their mobile kitchens for use in Cebu
province.
This is also in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to provide hot and nutritious meals to the IDPs. (GDVF)
DSWD dispatches over 203K food packs in 1st wave of relief support to 12 quake-hit LGUs in Cebu
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has sent out a total of 203,708 family food packs (FFPS) as the agency’s 1st wave of augmentation support to 12 local government units (LGUs) hit by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Cebu.
“As of Sunday (October 5), we have released 203,708 as initial aid to the LGUs affected by the earthquake. In just 5 days, our Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) has produced and dispatched food packs to immediately respond to the needs of our affected communities,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said on Monday (October 6).
Recipients of the food packs were the LGUs of Daanbantayan (37,000), Bogo City (26,000), Medellin (25,000), San Remigio (18,000), Tabogon (15,000), Madridejos (13,000), Bantayan (13,000), Borbon (12,000), Sogod (12,000), Catmon (11,708), Tabuelan (11,000), and Sta. Fe (10,000).
“The number of family food packs sent to the LGUs are based on their augmentation requests sent to the Department. We assure the public that this is just the first wave of distribution and DSWD will continue providing food packs as disaster operations are ongoing to ensure that every affected family or individual is provided with assistance,” the DSWD spokesperson said.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out that the more than 203,000 food packs are on top of the supplies already prepositioned in the LGUs prior to the September 30 earthquake.
In the island municipality of Daanbatayan, 69-year-old Geronides Discarten expressed gratitude for the food packs that her family has received.
Geronides shared that one side of their home’s concrete wall caved in during the earthquake. For fear of aftershocks, Geronides, together with her husband and a brother, is currently staying at her child’s place.
The elderly said they are thankful to receive the relief goods, especially since their municipality is hard to reach, and they would also appreciate cash aid in repairing their home.
Aside from the FFPs, the DSWD also distributed ready-to-eat food (RTEF), sanitary kits, and other non-food items (NFIs) for the affected families of the September 30 temblor.
As of press time, four mobile kitchens (MKs) of the DSWD have been dispatched to Cebu to provide hot meals to the displaced families in Bogo City, San Remigio, Medellin, and Daanbantayan.
Three of the MKs are from the Field Offices Calabarzon, Eastern Visayas, and Western Visayas.
Another mobile kitchen from DSWD Field Office 10 -Northern Mindanao is also expected to arrive by Tuesday (October 7), at the latest.
The DSWD Field Office 7- Central Visayas continues to distribute modular tents to augment the resources of the LGUs in providing temporary homes to the displaced families.
In coordination with the LGU and partner national government agencies, a tent city is currently underway in Bogo City.
With IDP camps set up in LGUs, DSWD ‘angels in red vests’ helped organize women and child friendly spaces to provide psycho-social support. In the San Remigio IDP camp, DSWD social workers conducted fun, psycho-social activities for the children.
The DSWD has also provided funeral assistance to the bereaved families of the casualties through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program and extended medical assistance to those injured.
Simultaneous with the relief distribution, the DSWD is preparing for the roll-out of the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program in collaboration with the LGUs.
Through the ECT, the DSWD provides cash assistance specifically to disaster affected families to help them toward the important phase of recovery and rebuilding their lives. (GDVF)
DSWD’s KALAHI-CIDSS infra projects in Cebu town withstand magnitude 6.9 quake
Two development infrastructure sub-projects in Borbon, Cebu — built through the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) — have stood the test of time as these two edifices stand strong even after the powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake that jolted the province last September 30.
Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said the barangay hall and day care center constructed by the community through the KALAHI-CIDSS program have been declared free from major concerns for repair after the strong temblor.
“The barangay hall worth Php1.8 million was built in 2014, while the day care center worth Php2.1 million was constructed in 2023. Both development infrastructures located in Barangay Don Gregorio Antigua were identified, proposed, and implemented by members of the community,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said on Monday (October 6).
The KALAHI-CIDSS is the DSWD’s community driven development (CDD) program which empowers the community members to be involved in their development. The program provides the budget for the construction with counterpart funding support from the concerned local government unit (LGU), but implementation and maintenance of the sub-projects are done by the villagers themselves.
“Through the CDD approach, our program promotes community ownership of the sub-projects. In our experience, community members put their best effort into building quality projects like day care centers, multi-purpose halls, and similar developmental projects. These two initiatives in Borbon prove that when a project is planned, implemented, and managed well, it can withstand unexpected shocks like the earthquake,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.
According to Don Gregorio Antigua Barangay Captain Margarito Ornopia Jr., the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and other authorities inspected the facilities on Saturday (October 4) as part of the protocol after the occurrence of an earthquake. Both facilities were cleared and declared safe for use without major concern for repairs.
Borbon is one of the 12 towns reported to be hardest hit by the strong earthquake, with 2,554 families or 7,752 individuals from 13 barangays affected based on the latest report of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations, Information and Communication (DROMIC).
The town also reported more than 1,300 damaged houses. (GDVF)
