Disaster management and response teams of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and all its 16 Field Offices (FOs) will remain on standby for any incident that may arise requiring immediate assistance from the agency during the country’s observance of the Holy Week or ‘Semana Santa.’
“Under the directive of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, all Quick Response Teams (QRT) of the Department will remain on standby and ready for deployment should any event necessitate their intervention. Our National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB) is also on top of replenishing food and non-food items necessary for resource augmentation to local government units, whenever necessary,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Irene Dumlao said on Tuesday (March 26).
“The Department is also closely coordinating with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) for relevant weather updates and information,” added the DSWD co-spokesperson.
To date, she noted that the DSWD maintains a total of Php388,547,264.48 standby funds and 1,214,479 family food packs (FFPs) in strategic areas around the country in time for the week-long observance.
The DSWD official also assured the public that all communication lines of disaster response teams in the Field Offices will be open during the Lenten Season.
She also reminded the public to prioritize their safety during the observance of the Holy Week.
“We urge the public to stay safe, remain vigilant, and heighten awareness to avoid emergencies, particularly during the Lenten Season break,” Dumlao said.
