The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has so far provided Php2,286,285 million-worth of relief items to families affected by the intense rainfall in Mindanao due to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), an agency official reported on Sunday (May 25).
“Alinsunod na nga rin po sa utos ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., tuloy-tuloy po ang pakikipag-ugnayan natin sa mga local government units (LGUs) para makapag-abot tayo ng agarang tulong at kapanatagan sa mga apektadong pamilya,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD spokesperson, said.
From May 15 to 18, the effects of ITCZ have impacted families from Regions 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 11 (Davao Region), 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the DSWD’s Field Offices (FOs) in the affected regions are on high alert to ensure that family food packs (FFPs) and essential non-food items immediately reach the disaster-hit families.
The DSWD’s FO-SOCCSKSARGEN distributed on Saturday (May 24) FFPs to 376 families in flood-hit Barangay Poblacion in the municipality of Carmen in Cotabato.
Edna, a 40-year old resident who was among the recipients, thanked the DSWD for the prompt response to their flood-hit community.
“Lubos po kaming nagpapasalamat sa DSWD-12 sa agarang tulong na ibinigay sa amin. Malaking ginhawa po ang mga family food packs na natanggap namin sa gitna ng dinanas naming baha,” Edna said.
The DSWD FO-Zamboanga Peninsula also swiftly delivered relief aid to various barangays in Kumalarang, Zamboanga Del Sur, where heavy rains led to flashflood and landslide incidents.
“So far, nakapag-hatid na tayo ng 1,315 boxes ng family food packs sa mga apektadong residente sa Kumalarang at pati na rin sa Bacungan na isa sa pinaka-apektadong munisipalidad sa Zamboanga Del Norte,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out.
The DSWD spokesperson said the agency is continuously coordinating with affected LGUs for any request for resource augmentation.
The DSWD’s Field Offices in Mindanao Region maintain Php12 million in standby funds and 419,645 FFPs which are ready to be tapped for disaster response operations. (LSJ)