The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday (December 9) assured the public that the agency is ready to dispatch family food packs (FFPs) to residents of Negros Province who will be affected by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian has directed the regional directors of Field Offices 6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas) to coordinate with the affected local government units (LGUs) to assure them that the agency is ready to respond to all those who will be affected by the volcanic eruption.
“We have prepositioned relief goods and non-food items in Regions 6 and 7 and we are ready to augment once the prepositioned FFPs have been dispatched to the affected LGUs,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
The Kanlaon Volcano in Negros province had an explosive eruption on Monday afternoon, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to raise its status to Alert Level 3.
PHIVOLCS said the eruption at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano occurred at 3:03 p.m. It produced a voluminous plume that rose to 3,000 meters above the vent and drifted west-southwest.
All LGUs were advised to evacuate the six kilometer radius from the summit of the volcano and prepare for possible additional evacuation.
Over 1.4M food packs ready for Kanlaon-affected families – DSWD chief
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured the public on Monday (December 9) the agency has sufficient supply of family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned in Regions 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), and other nearby regions that may be affected by the volcanic activity of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Island.
Secretary Gatchalian said the agency has more than 1.4 million boxes of FFPs prepositioned strategically in the different regions in the country.
Of this number, a total of 105,857 FFPs have been prepositioned in Western Visayas while 84,537 boxes of food packs are stockpiled in various warehouses in Central Visayas.
“We have directed our regional directors in Regions 6 and 7 to coordinate with the chief executives of concerned local government units (LGUs). Rest assured that the DSWD is ready to respond with the inflow of evacuees and all forms of assistance will reach them in the earliest time possible,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
Secretary Gatchalian said other DSWD FOs are on full alert and ready for inter-FO augmentation as the need arises.
Apart from FFPs, the agency have also prepositioned non-food items such as kitchen kit, family kit, sleeping kit, hygiene kit, and laminated sacks, among other relief items.
“In Western Visayas, we have more than Php57 million worth of non-food items and Php217,604 worth of other food items. We also have Php41 million worth of non-food items and Php1.64 million worth of other food items in Central Visayas,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
As of 4PM, the DSWD maintains a total of Php2.23 billion in FFP stockpile and standby funds ready for augmentation support to LGUs that may be affected by the Kanlaon eruption.
The DSWD chief urged nearby communities, particularly those residing within the 6km radius from Mt. Kanlaon’s summit to follow the emergency evacuation notices of their LGUs.
