On orders from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian flew to Camarines Sur on Friday morning (October 25) to monitor the ground situation and the on-going disaster operations across the province which was battered by Severe Tropical Storm (STS) Kristine.
Upon arrival in Camarines Sur, Secretary Gatchalian immediately informed President Marcos on the latest developments on the on-going response efforts of the local government units (LGUs) in the province.
“In Camarines Sur – nine towns out of 36 towns are still fully submerged. Then, around six towns are still partially submerged. The province has been doing the food distribution house-to-house using boats. Every area has already been penetrated by the province,” Secretary Gatchalian reported to the President.
The DSWD chief also informed President Marcos that the agency will augment the province’s food capacities.
“Sir, we are augmenting the province’s food capacities. We have enough goods on the ground. The province has set up triage camps on both sides of Maharlika Highway that has been cut off. They are serving food and have medicine onsite,” Secretary Gatchalian told the President.
Secretary Gatchalian also told the President he will meet with Naga City Mayor Nelson Legacion, whose city was one of the hardest hit by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine in Camarines Sur.
The DSWD chief was joined by the agency’s Field Office (FO) 5 – Bicol Regional Director Norman Laurio in the situation briefings with local chief executives and disaster response authorities to discuss their on-going relief operations.
Secretary Gatchalian will also visit various evacuation sites across the province and will personally oversee the distribution of DSWD’s relief assistance to families displaced by wide spread flooding and gusty rainfall.
In a Presidential Communication’s Office (PCO) press briefing on the government’s response to STS Kristine on Thursday (October 24), the DSWD chief emphasized that the agency has been working double in ensuring prompt response to the hardest-hit communities including areas in the Bicol Region.
“So, now we are focusing our efforts on Naga and Camarines Sur and we continuously talk to the local chief executives, yung governor, yung mayors nila — na kapag bumaba na at humupa na yung tubig kaya na nila mag-withdraw sa aming mga warehouse pwede na nila kunin ‘yun [prepositioned relief supplies ng DSWD] anytime nag-aantay ‘yun,” the DSWD chief pointed out.
Based on the 6 a.m. October 25 report of the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Management, Information and Communication (DROMIC), 805,684 families or 3,330,842 individuals from 5,457 barangays from Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 2 (Cagayan Valley) 3, (Central Luzon), 4-A (CALABARZON), 4-B (MIMAROPA), 5 (Bicol Region), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Caraga, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have been affected by STS Kristine.
According to Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, the Department has so far extended Php111,133,601-worth of humanitarian assistance to Kristine-hit families.
“We have already provided over Php111 million in augmentation support to LGUs. These include not just family food packs (FFPs, but also non-food items (NFIs) such as family, hygiene, kitchen and sleeping kits; water containers; and shelter materials like family tents and modular tents, particularly to our evacuees,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said.
The amount also covers the 150,752 FFPs and 3,231 NFIs. The bulk of the FFPs or 86,541 boxes were released to the Bicol Region.
“We still have sufficient supplies that can be readily tapped by our LGUs in their relief operations. As assured by Secretary Gatchalian, we are also ready to provide cash aid to assist the recovery of our kababayan as soon as possible. Makakaasa kayo na ang pamahalaang nasyonal ay nakatutok sa mga pangangailangan ng bawat apektadong mamamayan,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
