The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned thousands of family food packs (FFPs) in the northern Luzon area following the entry of Tropical Depression (TD) Gener in the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), an agency official said on Monday (September 16).
“Based on the directive of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the DSWD Field Office 2- Cagayan Valley has prepositioned 6,198 boxes of FFPs in the province of Batanes to prepare for the possible impacts of TD Gener,” DSWD Asst. Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DMRG) Irene Dumlao, who is also the agency’s spokesperson, said.
Through the logistical support provided by the Philippine Navy’s BRP Waray (LC-288), the FFPs arrived in the port of Basco in the island province of Batanes on Sunday (September 15).
The DSWD spokesperson assured the public that the agency has enough resources on standby to assist local government units (LGUs) that will be affected by the weather disturbance.
“The Department maintains over Php213 million standby funds ready for any disaster response operation. We also have more than 1.7 million FFPs prepositioned in strategic warehouses and locations around the country. The DSWD is ready to provide augmentation support to localities that will be affected by the impacts of Gener,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
The agency spokesperson reminded citizens to stay vigilant and follow the orders of their local chief executives to ensure their safety.
