Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian instructed all Regional Directors to intensify their coordination with the local government units (LGUs)that were severely affected by Super Typhoon Egay in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, MIMAROPA, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
In an emergency meeting held on Sunday (July 30), Secretary Gatchalian emphasized the importance of close coordination of the DSWD field offices with the LGUs in ensuring that appropriate interventions are immediately implemented for the welfare of the affected population.
“Part of the success natin [in disaster operations] is because the national agencies and local government units are talking, are coordinating,” the DSWD Secretary pointed out.
(Part of our success in disaster operations is because the national agencies and the local government units are talking, are coordinating.)
Secretary Gatchalian also ordered the Regional Directors to fast-track the preparations for the rollout of the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program in the municipality of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro and northern provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Apayao, Mountain Province, and Cagayan.
This coming week, Secretary Gatchalian said the DSWD will provide cash assistance under the ECT program to the affected families whose houses were damaged during the onslaught of ST Egay.
“Plot out the schedule of the payout… Gusto ko magkaroon tayo ng payout this week in batches,” the DSWD chief emphasized.
(Plot out the schedule of the payout… I want to have payout activities this week in batches.)
Secretary Gatchalian also said the DSWD will implement the Cash-For-Work program in the affected areas, which will run for 30-45 days, to provide alternative livelihood to typhoon-affected residents as part of their early recovery and rehabilitation after the calamity.
“Uunahin natin ang ECT pero later on sa recovery we will do cash for work,” the DSWD chief noted.
(We will roll out ECT first and later on, for the recovery, we will do cash for work.)
Secretary Gatchalian also commended Regional Directors Leo Quintilla (FO-CAR), Leo Reynoso (FO-MIMAROPA), Marie Angela Gopalan (FO-Ilocos), Lucia Allan (FO-Cagayan Valley) and their respective teams for exercising an efficient disaster response to the affected localities.
DSWD reaches out to kins of motorbanca fatalities in Rizal
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office (FO) IV-A , on Saturday (July 29) extended assistance to the grieving families of the passengers who perished in the recent motorbanca accident in Binangonan, Rizal.
The DSWD FO CALABARZON distributed financial assistance worth Php 10,000 each to the 18 bereaved families from Talim Island.
DSWD social workers also conducted simultaneous psychological first aid (PFA) to the immediate family members to help them manage their stress following the traumatic incident.
The Department will also provide assistance to the families of the other fatalities in the coming days.
DSWD sends food packs to fisherfolk in CamSur
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Bicol Regional Office, distributes family food packs (FFPs) on Saturday (July 29) to some 1,287 fisherfolk who were severely affected by Super Typhoon Egay and ‘Habagat’ in the Western Seaboards of Libmanan, Camarines Sur. The affected individuals were from Barangays Bahao and Salvacion of the said municipality.
