The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to deliver relief assistance to affected communities across the Visayas and Mindanao, following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino on Tuesday morning (November 4).
Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the Department’s total humanitarian assistance has reached more than Php69.45 million.
“Alam niyo po, ang Department of Social Welfare and Development ay talagang naghahanda para sa lahat ng kalamidad dahil batid naman po natin na tayo ay highly vulnerable to various hazards. [Dahil dito] ini-implement po natin yung Buong Bansa Handa (BBH) program kung saan we have created two parallel supply chains for the government sector driven, and the second one is the private sector driven,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said in an interview on Wednesday (November 5).
Through strategically prepositioned relief items under the BBH program, the Department has distributed over 123,000 family food packs (FFPs) to affected individuals.
According to Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is the DSWD spokesperson, non-food items and ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes have also been provided to families currently staying in evacuation centers.
“Mayroon tayong na-release na mga ready-to-eat food packs. In fact, diyan sa Region 5 (Bicol Region), Negros Island Region (NIR), and Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) [at iba pa], tayo po ay namahagi ng mga ready-to-eat food boxes,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
The DSWD spokesperson added: “Tama yung nabanggit niyo, kapag mayroon pong pag uulan o malakas na ulan [at] pagbabaha at wala pang nase-set up na community kitchens especially in areas na lumikas po yung ating mga kababayan, hindi pa po nakakapag luto. Kaya ang ginagawa natin we distribute ready-to-eat food packs kasi hindi na ito kailangan initin.”
A mobile kitchen deployed in Matnog Port in Sorsogon also provided hot meals to locally stranded individuals (LSIs), helping ease the hardships faced by affected commuters.
The DSWD, as mentioned by its spokesperson, continues to produce 18,000 to 20,000 food packs per day in its major hubs, a capacity made possible by the newly-installed Mechanized Production System (MPS), the agency’s new packing system.
In the same interview, the DRMG official expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives due to the typhoon.
While the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) continues to validate the official death toll, the Department assured bereaved families that assistance will be provided.
“Nandito po ang DSWD to provide the necessary support. Mayroon po tayong Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation, particularly the burial assistance. Ang atin pong mga field offices naman po ay nagri-reach out sa mga pamilya ng sagayon ay ma-assist po natin sila at mabahagian po ng tulong,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
While relief operations for Typhoon Tino are ongoing, the DSWD is also monitoring the approaching tropical cyclone Uwan, which may intensify into a super typhoon as it enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) over the weekend.
“We’re monitoring right now itong pagdating ng bagong bagyo. We are now closely working with the local government units to ensure and assure them na nakahanda po ang DSWD doon,” the DSWD spokesperson assured the public.
The DSWD currently maintains over Php2.87 billion in standby funds and stockpiles of food and non-food items across its Field Offices nationwide. (KB)
DSWD prepares to rollout emergency cash assistance for Tino-hit families
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is now preparing to implement its emergency cash transfer (ECT) program to support families affected by Typhoon Tino, with priority areas currently being assessed in coordination with affected local government units (LGUs).
Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the ECT serves as a vital intervention that enables affected households to purchase essential goods and repair materials for their houses as part of early recovery.
“Ito pong emergency cash transfer, maaari pong gamitin ng ating mga kababayan to purchase additional food items that are not present in the food boxes. It may also be used to buy materials for the repair of their damaged houses or maaari rin naman pong gamitin sa iba pang mga needs,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is also DSWD spokesperson, told broadcast journalist Karen Davila in an interview on ANC on Wednesday (November 5).
The DSWD spokesperson explained that the implementation of the ECT follows a trigger mechanism that requires a declaration of a state of calamity; confirmation that local markets are functioning and capable of supplying basic needs; and a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDANA) Report that will guide the determination of whether extended cash aid is necessary to address the longer-term recovery needs of disaster-affected families.
“This is 75 percent of regional minimum wage rate and it is multiplied by the number of days na mapag-agree-han with the local government units to support the early recovery of those who have been affected,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
As the Department prepares for the rollout of the financial aid, the DSWD’s Field Offices continue to distribute family food packs (FFPs), ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and hot meals through its mobile kitchens to areas hit by Typhoon Tino, with over Php69 million worth of humanitarian aid already released.
Before the landfall of Typhoon Tino, the DSWD had prepositioned more than 2.1 million boxes of FFPs across the country, ensuring immediate response to affected LGUs, particularly in the Visayas and in the northern part of Palawan where FFPs augmentation is now being sent.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao assured the public that the DSWD maintains sufficient standby relief resources due to the timely replenishment of funds by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The DSWD is also calling for volunteers to assist in the repacking of FFPs at the Luzon Disaster Resource Center in Pasay City as well as in the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Mandaue City. Interested individuals may proceed to the designated centers to help fast-track the ongoing production of food packs. (KI)
