In a bid to ensure the safety and well-being of Mt. Bulusan evacuees, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Tuesday (April 29) personally visited and assured them of the government’s help.
“Went on-site at the Juban evacuation center this morning to personally check on the situation of families and individuals displaced by the heavy ashfall from the eruption of Mt. Bulusan. Ensuring their safety, well-being, immediate needs remains our top priority,” Secretary Gatchalian said in a Facebook Post.
Secretary Gatchalian, on orders of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, flew to Sorsogon just a day after Mt. Bulusan’s eruption.
“The standing instruction of the President is to make sure that in all disasters, the DSWD is the first on the ground and the last to leave,” the DSWD chief emphasized.
As of press time, the DSWD has already delivered 20,000 FFPs requested by the provincial government of Sorsogon, as well as non-food items such as modular tents, hygiene kits, and water filtration kits.
Secretary Gatchalian assured Bicolanos in Sorsogon that the agency will be pooling all its resources to give a comprehensive response to the needs of affected families and individuals.
The DSWD has already mobilized its Mobile Kitchen to assist the local government of Sorsogon in the provision of hot meals to affected communities.
“Napaka partikular ng ating Pangulo Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. pagdating sa pagkain. Lagi niyang sinasabi sa akin na hindi sasapat ‘yong family food box, kasi sino ba naman ang tao na kayang kainin ang family food packs o ang delata araw-araw,” the DSWD chief said in an interview with the local media.
The DSWD and concerned local government units (LGUs) have also established plans on alternating provision of hot meals and food packs.
“So, ngayon bilang tugon sa utos ng ating Pangulo, dineploy natin ang bagong-bagong mobile kitchen ng DSWD. Para mag substitute, minsan family food packs, minsan naman fresh meal. Ngayon, ang mag seserving, ang nagluluto yung local government, fried chicken. So iba rin talaga yung fresh yung pagkaing niluluto. Ito ay ang utos ng ating Pangulo, dapat ang disaster response ay angkop sa pangangailangan,” the DSWD chief told the local press.
Secretary Gatchalian also visited the warehouse of the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Sorsogon to inspect the availability of food and non-food items for the evacuees.
Joining Secretary Gatchalian in the inspection were Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), Governor Edwin “Boboy” Hamor of Sorsogon, Regional Director Norman Laurio of DSWD Field Office 5-Bicol Region, and other local chief executives. #