The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office-5 (Bicol Region) has established child- and women-friendly spaces to ensure the safety and welfare of women and children displaced by the April 10 armed conflict in Barangays Villa Paz and San Vincente in the town of Jovellar, Albay, an agency official said on Thursday (April 11).
“In any disaster, be it natural or man-made, women and children suffer the most. Under Republic Act No. 10821 or the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act, the DSWD as the Vice-Chair for Disaster Response and Early Recovery Pillar is tasked to oversee its implementation through the Comprehensive Emergency Program for Children (CEPC),” Asst. Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Irene Dumlao said.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao explained that under the CEPC, the Department engages with other national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), and non-government organizations (NGOs) to create safe, gender-appropriate, and timely assistance during the relief, rehabilitation, and recovery phases of disaster response operations. These measures promote the best interest of children.
“To help the children cope with their traumatic experience brought about by the armed conflict, they underwent recreational and educational activities, such as play and art therapy sessions, conducted by DSWD social workers,” Asst. Sec. Dumlao, who is also the agency’s co-spokesperson, pointed out.
Aside from the psychosocial support services, Asst. Sec. Dumlao said that DSWD FO-5 also provided relief augmentation and technical assistance in camp management to ensure the safety of the 99 affected families, including children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
Overall, the Field Office has already provided humanitarian assistance amounting to Php666,025.80 to those affected by the incident, the DSWD co-spokesperson said.
“The DSWD Bicol Field Office will continue to provide assistance to our citizens affected by the armed conflict, until they are able to resume their normal lives,” Asst. Sec. Dumlao said.
