The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) together with local government units affected by heavy downpour spawned by typhoon “Maring”  will conduct massive relief operations today in areas with the most number of displaced families  and in those with recurring floodwaters.

DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman said that over P7.9 million worth of relief assistance from the combined resources of the DSWD, LGUs, and NGOs have been provided to disaster victims. Of this amount, the DSWD extended P3.763 million. 

Secretary Soliman added that the Department has purchased 1,500 sacks of rice as additional food support for the affected families in the CALABARZON areas.

She also said that repacking is on-going for the newly-purchased food items for the additional 100,000 stockpile of family packs at the DSWD-National Resource Operations Centers (NROC).

Secretary Soliman reiterated her call for volunteers to help in the repacking of goods at NROC along NAIA Chapel Road in Pasay City with telephone number 852-8081.

Based on the 6 am report of the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), some 223,991 families or 1,060,094 individuals have been affected.

Of this number,  29,041 families or 132,969 individuals are staying in evacuation centers in NCR, CAR, Regions I, III, IV-A and B. NCR has the most number of evacuees with 20,524 families or 132, 969 persons staying in 200 evacuations centers.

Secretary Soliman said that DSWD personnel are deployed  24/7  at the NDRRMC Operations Center at OCD, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City to coordinate and respond to issues  on the current disaster operations.

The Secretary also instructed for the establishment of a DSWD Disaster Operations Center at the DSWD-NROC to coordinate all relief distribution efforts. ### (DSWD-Social Marketing Service)