A total of ₱153,371,593 worth of relief assistance has already been provided  to families affected by Typhoon Nina in Regions CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, V & VIII, coming from the combined resources of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which extended P149,285,261, local government units (LGUs) with P4,005,832 and non-government organizations (NGOs) with P80,500.

As of 5am today,  46,798 families or 229,901 persons are still  staying in 280 evacuation centers set-up by LGUs in the affected regions.

DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo expressed relief upon learning that the number of evacuation centers has decreased indicating that families are already returning to their homes. More than 500 evacuation centers were opened at the height of ‘Nina’.

“We are doing our best so that families can already return to their homes to also welcome the new year. I commend our disaster teams who continue to work  even during the holidays. DSWD will continue to assist affected families until they are able to return to their normal lives,” Sec. Taguiwalo said.

Meanwhile, Sec. Taguiwalo joined disaster teams yesterday morning as they distributed family food packs in Marinduque and nearby towns.

Aside from relief operations, Sec. Taguiwalo also joined the aerial inspection in the province.  She then presided over the meeting of the Response Cluster at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in the afternoon and discussed the result of the aerial inspection and needs assessment. ###