Evacuees staying at Tabaco National High School Evacuation Center in Tabaco City, Albay render community work as part of the Department of Social  Welfare and Development's Cash-for-Work Program, which aims to provide temporary employment to families affected by the volcanic activities of Mayon Volcano.
Evacuees staying at Tabaco National High School Evacuation Center in Tabaco City, Albay render community work as part of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Cash-for-Work Program, which aims to provide temporary employment to families affected by the volcanic activities of Mayon Volcano.

Residents affected by the volcanic activities of Mayon Volcano in Albay who are  staying in evacuation centers have started to render different community work as part of the Cash-For-Work (CFW) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The CFW is one of the initiatives of the DSWD in coordination with the affected local government units (LGUs) in Albay to provide a means of livelihood to evacuees while they are taking refuge in temporary shelters due to the threat of Mayon Volcano.

Under the program, each beneficiary will receive P290 per day for ten days by participating in preparedness, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation or risk reduction projects and activities in the evacuation centers.

In Tabaco National High School Evacuation Center in Tabaco City, evacuees have started their ten-day community work yesterday by sweeping the school grounds, removing weeds in the school garden, and planting garden plants.

Some 1,925 displaced residents are included in the CFW program in the city. The fund for the program, which amounts to P5,582,500, has already been downloaded to the LGU of Tabaco.

Likewise, the Municipality of Malilipot will start conducting the CFW program in different evacuation centers today. A total of 1,329 beneficiaries will benefit from the program in the town, with a total budget of P3,854,100.

Other affected cities and municipalities will start implementing the program in evacuation centers within this month.

To date, the DSWD has downloaded the funds for the program’s implementation to all concerned LGUs.

Relief assistance, psychosocial intervention

Meanwhile, the DSWD through its Field Office (FO) V continues to provide relief assistance to the affected Albay residents.

Yesterday, the FO sent additional Family Food Packs (FFPs) to families staying at Nabonton Elementary School in Ligao City, as well as to displaced residents at Lower Binogsacan Elementary School in Guinobatan and to families staying at Bitano Elementary School in Legazpi City.

To date, the DSWD has sent a total of 73,911 FFPs amounting to P30,436,694 to the affected families. The total amount of assistance provided by the Department has now reached P44,630,514.72.

Social workers from the Field Office who have been assigned to help in the management of the different evacuation centers also continue to provide psychosocial intervention to the evacuees.

Yesterday, staff from the FO conducted painting sessions for children evacuees at Anislag Elementary School in the Municipality of Daraga as part of the psychosocial support program in the evacuation center.

Based on the latest report, 16,373 families or 62,097 individuals are still taking temporary shelter in 57 evacuation centers in Albay due to the threat of Mayon Volcano. ###