With the resumption of sea travel , the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has continued the delivery of relief support to communities hit by Typhoon Pepito, particularly in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) or hard-to-reach areas.
Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Assistant Secretary Irene Dumalo said this development ramped up aid delivery to the island province of Catanduanes, which is among the localities battered by ‘Pepito.’
“Based on the latest report from our DSWD Field Office (FO) 5 – Bicol Region, the island province of Catanduanes is now safe to reach via water vessels kaya nag-dispatch na agad tayo ng 5,100 FFPs doon,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, the agency’s spokesperson, said on Tuesday (November 19).
In addition to the trucks transporting the family food packs (FFPs), the water vessel also transported the DSWD FO-5’s Mobile Command Center (MCC).
“Apart from deploying it [MCC] to serve as means to boost our disaster coordination, we are eyeing din na maipagamit itong MCC natin sa mga residente na nawalan ng kuryente, tulad nung naging serbisyo rin nito sa ating mga kababayan nitong mga nagdaang mga bagyo,” the DSWD official said.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao stressed that the resumption of sea travel would improve access to Catanduanes and facilitate quicker delivery of support from the DSWD.
This support will include the 45,000 family food packs (FFPs) for the province.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian pledged this assistance during a coordination meeting with Catanduanes Governor Joseph Cua and other local officials on Monday (November 18), highlighting it as part of the relief operations for the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Catanduanes.
The DSWD is also actively addressing requests for relief support from other regions.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao noted that the PLGU of La Union has already collected their request for 700 FFPs from the DSWD Field Office 1-Ilocos Region warehouse in San Fernando, La Union.
“Dito naman sa Central Luzon, our Field Office personnel have been proactive in releasing FFPs to Aurora province kung saan nag landfall din ang bagyong Pepito,” the DSWD official said.
In Dingalan, Aurora, the DSWD extended 2,300 FFPs to families and individuals displaced at the height of the typhoon.
The agency spokesperson assured that the Department remains steadfast in replenishing, prepositioning, and delivering augmentation support to meet the immediate needs of every disaster-affected Filipino.
