Families from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) who were affected by Super Typhoon Egay last July have received Php6,000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program.
Through the DSWD’s Field Office (FO) CAR, some 4,994 families with partially damaged houses and 209 families with totally damaged houses in the municipalities of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, and Mountain Province were able to receive the cash assistance amounting to Php 47.76 million.
The ECT is an adaptive strategy of the DSWD in bridging the gap between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support in disasters and emergencies by providing unconditional cash assistance to disaster-affected families, including those whose houses were partially and totally damaged.
“We, at the DSWD, are committed to completing the distribution of ECT to the families and individuals who experienced the adverse effects of Super Typhoon Egay as soon as possible. Currently, we have distributed ECT to 84.6% of our 6,150 target beneficiaries in CAR,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said.
The DSWD is set to provide more than Php 1.1 billion worth of ECT assistance to the families affected by the effects of Super Typhoon “Egay” in CAR, Regions 1 (Ilocondia), 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), and MIMAROPA.
“Beneficiaries of ECT can use the cash assistance to aid in their day-to-day needs and repair of their damaged houses,” Asst. Sec. Lopez, who is also DSWD spokesperson, explained.
As the Vice-Chair for the Disaster Response and Early Recovery Pillar of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the DSWD assured the public that it will uphold the integrity of the ECT process to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of services and programs to disaster-stricken families.
