Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman today called for volunteers to assist in the repacking of goods at the DSWD National Resource Operations Center  (NROC) along Chapel Road in Pasay City.

Interested volunteers may call Mr Ronald Reonal at 852-8081 .

Meanwhile, Secretary Soliman said that 199 evacuation centers are open in disaster-affected areas providing temporary shelter and relief assistance to 9,153 families or 41,000 persons.

The National Capital Region has 77 evacuation centers, Region IV-A with 59, Region III has 47, CAR has 6, and Region IV-B with one evacuation center.

Relief distribution also continues for some 19,140 families or 90, 458 persons who chose to stay in their friends or relatives.

As of 6 am today, a total of 125, 024 families with 601,114 persons from 503 barangays in NCR, CAR, and Regions I, III IV-A and IV-B were affected by  heavy rains and floodings.

Secretary Soliman said the P4.4 million worth of relief assistance coming from the combined resources of the DSWD, concerned LGUs, and NGOs were provided to the affected families.

Secretary Soliman added that the Department will send today 10,000 family food packs  and 5,000 family food packs to Regions III and IV-A, respectively.

She added that the Department is now coordinating with the World Food Programme for the distribution of high energy biscuits for children and older persons.

Secretary Soliman said that all members of the DSWD Quick Response Teams in disaster-affected areas are on alert status to augment resources of local government units to assist in relief distribution and in managing evacuation centers ### (DSWD-Social MarKeting Service) ### August 20, 2013.