DSWD braces for looming Mayon eruption; prepositioned food packs enough for affected families

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the DSWD is ready for a possible Mayon eruption, with sufficient volume of family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned in the different warehouses in Region 5 (Bicol Region).

In an interview over Net25’s ASPN on Friday (January 9), Secretary Gatchalian said he visited Albay province on Thursday to meet with the provincial and local government unit (LGU) heads to assess the situation and prepare for any eventuality.

“Ang rason din kung bakit ako pumunta doon, kasi ang bilis, tingnan mo last week ay Alert Level 2 tapos ngayon ay Alert Level 3 na. So nag-ayos na rin kami kung sakaling tataas pa itong alert level at maging mas pangit yung sitwasyon. Lalawak kasi yung danger zone, expanded danger zone na and aabot tayo ng 14,000 (affected) families. Pinaghandaan na rin namin yon,” Secretary Gatchalian explained to program anchors.

“Rest assured na ang DSWD, sabi ko nga sa mga local government, maraming family food packs na nakaimbak sa iba’t ibang mga bodega natin sa Albay,” the DSWD chief said.

Even before the raising to Alert Level 3 status, Secretary Gatchalian said the DSWD had already prepositioned in Albay province 150,000 boxes of FFPs and other food and non-food items(FNFIs), on orders of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

“Ang instruction sa amin ng ating Pangulo is ang preparation hindi yan ginagawa kapag may sakuna na, 365 days a year wala kaming ginawa kundi mag-imbak nang mag-imbak. Umaabot ang ating national stockpile to almost 4 million family food boxes spread across 1,000 warehouses nationwide. So kung may nangyari na ganito, ready tayo tumulong kaagad. Ora mismo nandoon na,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.

In addition to the initial 150,00 food packs prepositioned in the Bicol Region, Secretary Gatchalian has ordered the immediate release of an additional 100,000 FFPs.

“Sa katunayan mayroon na tayong 150,000 na family food packs sa Albay bago pa nag-alboroto si Mayon. At mayroon pa tayong isang 100,000 na padating by Wednesday. So pinaghahandaan talaga natin kung mag-escalate ito,” the DSWD chief said.

Secretary Gatchalian also emphasized that the DSWD will implement a cash-for-work (CFW) program to assist families residing within the 6-km permanent danger zone whose sources of livelihood have been disrupted.

“So now magsisimula na ang cash-for-work doon kahit na isang libo pa lang sila na affected families para makatulong sila sa efforts ng local government. Halimbawa, maintenance ng mga evacuation centers sila na rin mag-aayos noon. Kasi syempre, tama ka, naantala yung livelihood nila. So importante mapalitan natin ‘yon habang hindi sila makapasok doon sa danger zone,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.

Based on the latest Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication (DROMIC) report, the DSWD has so far provided more than Php6 million worth of humanitarian assistance to affected families and individuals.

The initial aid consists of 2,880 family food packs (FFPs), 960 ready-to-eat food (RTEFs) boxes, and 1,949 non-food items (NFIs). (YADP)

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