The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will continue monitoring the situation of families displaced by the effects of Typhoon ‘Paolo’, including those who have returned home, to ensure that they can all recover and resume their daily lives.
Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the number of evacuees has significantly dropped, from the peak of 9,903 families in the onslaught of Paolo, only 319 families or 1,170 individuals are still staying in 24 evacuation centers across Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
“It’s a good sign that many have returned to their respective homes. The DSWD’s Field Office (FO) personnel in Cagayan Valley were among the camp coordinators who helped to ensure that the evacuees could safely return home. Our response, however, does not stop here. Monitoring efforts will continue, particularly for those still reeling from the damage and impact of the typhoon,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said on Wednesday (October 8).
Taking off from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr and Secretary Rex Gatchalian’s tall orders for round-the-clock relief operations, the DSWD’s Field Offices in the affected regions have so far extended Php16 million in humanitarian aid to Paolo-hit communities.
This is cumulative cost of the DSWD relief resources distributed since October 3, even when Paolo was still inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) — including 24,026 family food packs (FFPs), 112 ready-to-eat-food (RTEF) boxes and other non-food essentials such as family, kitchen, sleeping and hygiene kits, and family tents.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the Department is ready to release more relief aid as the need arises, with the DSWD’s Field Offices in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and CAR maintaining 473,660 FFPs and non-food items (NFIs) items amounting to over Php23 million.
“The Department will remain in coordination with local government units (LGUs) to ensure swift provision of support to families still displaced. We are also still looking out for our kababayan who are already shifting towards early recovery,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out. (LSJ)
