The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured the public of its readiness to assist local government units (LGUs) affected by the eruption of the Taal Volcano, adding that it has enough resources to support disaster operations in the province of Batangas and neighboring areas.
As part of its mandate, the DSWD will provide technical assistance and resource augmentation (TARA) to LGUs to ensure that the immediate needs of evacuees are met.
As of March 29, the DSWD Field Office (FO) IV-A has P5 million available standby funds and 9,922 available family food packs (FFPs) ready for augmentation to affected LGUs in Batangas.
The Department also maintains stockpiles and standby funds amounting to more than ₱1.148 billion. Of which, more than ₱150 million is the available standby funds in the DSWD Central Office and its Field Offices (FOs). A total of 491,437 FFPs are also prepositioned in strategic locations around the country.
Likewise, the Department, through its FO IV-A, is consistently coordinating with affected LGUs in Batangas to monitor the condition of more than 1,100 families or more than 3,900 individuals who are currently staying in 12 evacuation centers.
Based on Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, the LGUs are the first responders in the occurrence of natural and man-made calamities.
