The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office-5 (Bicol Region), deployed on Monday (September 29) a mobile water station to Masbate as part of the Agency’s strengthened disaster response operations.
The mobile water treatment facility, currently stationed at the Masbate Provincial Capitol Grounds, is capable of filtering and producing potable water for the use of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were affected by severe tropical storm (STS) Opong. (GDVF)
We will not leave Masbate all throughout these tragic times – DSWD chief
Upon receiving reports of Masbate being one of the hardest hit by severe tropical storm Opong in the Bicol Region, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. directed Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian to lead the relief operations in the island province and check on the conditions of the affected families.
“The assurance of the President, he told me to relay it to Governor Richard [Kho] and to our residents here in Masbate, that the national government stands ready to support Masbate in the disaster response and recovery, and rehabilitation of Masbate. Hindi natin iiwanan ang Masbate all throughout these tragic times,” Secretary Gatchalian told local media during a press conference at the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office on Sunday (September 28).
Some 41,893 families or 150,725 individuals from 454 barangay in Masbate were directly affected by recent weather disturbances. Of the total, 7,148 families or 29,394 persons are currently staying in 292 evacuation centers.
Ten trucks carrying 17,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) from Pio Duran Port are now on their way to Masbate Province as part of the augmentation to the prepositioned FFPs which are now being distributed among the affected locals.
Secretary Gatchalian, assisted by DSWD Regional Director Norman Laurio of Field Office 5-Bicol Region, visited the evacuation centers at the Nursery Elementary School, Bolo National School, and Milagros National High School where he led the distribution food packs as well as non-food items (FNIs) to the evacuees.
The DSWD chief was accompanied by Masbate Governor Richard Kho and Mayor Natividad Magbalon of Milagros town. The island province in the Bicol Region was one of the hardest hit by STS Opong.
DSWD Undersecretary Evelyn Aribon of the Office of the Secretary (OSEC), Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe and Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), and Director Maria Isabel Lanada of the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMG) flew in with Secretary Gatchalian to Masbate.
Secretary Gatchalian told the local media that the agency will augment an additional 140,000 boxes of FFPs, as instructed by President Marcos, to ensure that no family affected by the weather disturbance will go hungry.
“Sa DSWD side, we have family food boxes even before tumama ang Bagyong Opong at patuloy kaming nagpapadala, patuloy kaming nagdedeploy. Kaya nga sabi ko, ang commitment ko kaagad kay Gov. kanina, huwag nyo na problemahin yung pagkain mayroon na iyan. Ang mga iba naming napag-usapan, actually beyond DSWD, but my role is to make sure to relay it to the other national government agencies directly to their Cabinet Secretaries and to the President,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
Among the concerns that the DSWD chief will discuss with the President and Cabinet members are the clearing of utility posts, power and water restoration, reconstruction of damaged schools and evacuation centers, provision of generator sets, and the provision of other social services from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to help in the immediate recovery of the affected families.
Secretary Gatchalian told reporters he already instructed concerned offices in the DSWD to prepare for the provision of emergency cash transfer (ECT) to help affected locals to repair their damaged homes. (AKDL)
