In line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure that all Filipinos affected by disasters will never get hungry, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to strengthen its relief supply chains and logistic capabilities through the Buong Bansa Handa (BBH) Program.
“Alam naman po natin na ang bansang Pilipinas ay number one in the World’s Risk Index dahil very prone po ito sa mga iba’t-ibang disasters and calamities. And with the threats of climate change na exacerbate po, o mas pinapalala ‘yung mga disasters na kinakaharap ng ating bansa, kagaya ng mga bagyo…kaya nga po ang DSWD ay mas pinaigting po ang disaster response efforts nito,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said during the National Press Club’s (NPC) Meet the Press on Tuesday (July 1).
According to Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, the BBH utilizes two parallel supply chain mechanisms for disaster preparedness and response.
The first supply chain features a national and local government-driven supply chain that aims to increase the production capacities and processes of the agency’s National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City, the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Cebu, and the warehouse and storage facilities across all DSWD Field Offices (FOs).
For the second supply chain, Asst. Secretary Dumlao explained that the Department forged partnerships through framework agreements with established large and small groceries, supermarkets, manufacturers, and distributors to leverage on their technical expertise and resources to create a private sector-driven supply chain.
“Last year kung maaalala ninyo, sunod-sunod na typhoons…anim na bagyo po ‘yan. Napakalaking tulong ng Buong Bansa Handa Program sapagkat madali natin naipaparating ang kinakailangang tulong sa mga kababayan natin. We were able to respond to request of various local governments para madagdagan ‘yung kanilang paghahatid ng tulong sa kanilang mga constituent,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out.
Another innovation shared by the DSWD spokesperson is the prepositioning of ready-to-eat-food (RTEF) boxes in port areas before any disaster strikes.
“Kapag ikaw ay hindi makalakbay sapagkat ang iyong barkong sinasakyan ay kinakailangan munang manatili sa port, hindi mo na iisipin kung ano ang kakainin mo o ano ang gagamitin mo for the day that you are inside the port.Sapagkat, mayroon na rin po kaming ready-to-eat food packs,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao told reporters.
An RTEF box contains five cans of tuna paella, one can of chicken pastil, one can of giniling, two packs of arroz caldo, three packs of champorado, two protein biscuits, and one complementary food for infants. It can feed up to a family of five for a whole day.
The DSWD currently maintains over 3 million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned across the country that can be immediately distributed to LGUs that will be affected by disasters or emergencies. (AKDL)