The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will continue monitoring the condition of Mt. Kanlaon evacuees during the Holy Week break, an agency official said on Wednesday (April 16).

Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the DSWD’s Field Offices (FOs) in 6 – Western Visayas and 7 – Central Visayas will maintain coordination with concerned local government units (LGUs) the entire Holy Week to provide uninterrupted aid and interventions for families affected by Mt. Kanlaon’s restiveness.

“Way back the explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon last year, wala po talagang patid yung coordination natin sa mga LGUs. From our resource augmentation of family food packs (FFPs) other food and non-food items (FNFIs), and even yung mga camp coordinators natin na tumulong para masiguro yung tuloy-tuloy na tulong at safety ng mga kababayan natin, magpapatuloy po yan, even during the Holy Week break,” the DSWD official pointed out.

The Quick Response Teams (QRTs) of FOs 6 and 7, particularly those in charge for the operations in the Negros Island Region (NIR) are also on stand-by for deployment, should the situation in Mt. Kanlaon escalates and requires immediate assistance.

“This is also in line with DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian’s directive to ensure that we are ready to respond any time of the day should an emergency occur and call for our immediate assistance,” the DSWD official pointed out.

Based on the latest Disaster Response Operations Management Information Communication (DROMIC) report, a total of 18,903 families or 68,765 individuals are affected by the ongoing unrest of the Mt. Kanlaon Volcano.

The DSWD has already extended more than Php146 million in humanitarian assistance to the affected families and individuals since the December 9 volcanic eruption. (LSJ)