Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has ordered the immediate release of 20,000 family food packs to Sorsogon as the DSWD chief’s commitment to help the province amid Mt. Bulusan’s eruption on Monday (April 28).
Sorsogon Governor Jose Edwin Hamor thanked Secretary Gatchalian for immediately reaching out to his office in the wake of the eruption and taking swift action on the province’s request for resource augmentation.
“Secretary Rex, maraming maraming salamat gaya ng pinag usapan kanina, nandon na yung truck namin, yung alloted sa amin na 20,000 na family food packs as you promised, pangako mo. Maraming salamat DSWD sa pangunguna niyo po Secretary Rex,” Gov. Hamor said in a video message that expressed his gratitude to the DSWD.
The DSWD’s Field Office 5 – Bicol Region is also set to deploy its mobile command center (MCC) and mobile kitchen in areas most-affected by the eruption of Mt. Bulusan.
“On the part of DSWD, we are prepared, all hands are on deck. Nandito po yung disaster response team namin, yung mobile kitchen papunta na po rito, yung aming Mobile Command Center andito rin, and other resources of the DSWD ay nakatutok dito sa Sorsogon, particularly four towns namely Dagupan, Magallanes, Bulan at Irosin,” DSWD Bicol Regional Director (RD) Norman Laurio said during a meeting of the Sorsogon Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (SPDRRMC).
The MCC, manned by an MCC deployment team, will ensure continuous and timely communications support, particularly on the on-going monitoring of the status of the affected families.
The MCC, which is equipped with state-of-the-art satellite internet, gadgets, and a generator, is being utilized not just as a stable source of power supply and internet connection for disaster responders, but also for disaster-affected communities.
RD Laurio said the DSWD’s newly-acquired mobile kitchen will be deployed to help with the food provision for affected families, particularly those who will be advised to evacuate.
As of press time, the agency is preparing 20,000 boxes of FFPs for immediate release to the provincial government of Sorsogon.
“Ngayong araw [April 28], in transit na po yung dalawang DSWD trucks na naglalaman ng family food packs papunta rito [sa Sorsogon], pitong trucks naman ng local government unit (LGU) ang kinakargahan ngayon sa ating warehouse,” RD Laurio told the provincial disaster council.
The DSWD’s Bicol Field Office will continue to coordinate with concerned LGUs in Sorsogon to determine the extent of the volcano’s eruption and to also determine the needs of the affected families.