As the Southwest Monsoon or “Habagat” caused heavy rain in different parts of the country, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is continuously providing timely aid to heavily-affected communities, an agency official said on Wednesday (June 11).
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the agency has extended more than Php2.12 million worth of family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items (NFIs) such as family kits, blanket, and mats to Habagat-hit families and individuals.
“These relief assistance immediately reached our kababayans as we made necessary calls to expedite relief distribution together with their concerned local government units (LGUs),” Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is also the agency spokesperson, said.
Last June 7, several barangays in Zamboanga City experienced flooding due to combined effects of Southwest Monsoon and low pressure area (LPA).
In response, the DSWD Field Office 9 – Zamboanga Peninsula swiftly distributed 1,000 boxes of FFPs to affected areas on the same day.
“Gaya nga po ng laging sinasabi ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., in any disaster or emergency, nagtutulungan po lagi ang pamahalaang nasyonal at lokal para maiparamdam natin agad-agad sa mga kababayan natin na hindi sila nag-iisa,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao explained.
As of press time, a total of 4,884 families or 16,891 individuals from 43 barangays in Regions 3 (Central Luzon), 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 11 (Davao Region), and 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) are affected by the weather disturbances.
Of this figure, 1,180 families or 4,189 persons are currently taking temporary shelter in 16 evacuation centers in Central Luzon and Zamboanga Peninsula.
The DSWD spokesperson said the agency’s respective field offices (FO) in the disaster-hit regions are on high alert, making sure that the LGUs, as the first line of disaster response, have sufficient resources to cover their constituents’ needs.
“We are ready for any requests for resource augmentation from LGUs. Altogether in Central Luzon, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region and SOCCSKSARGEN, we have 694,526 FFPs already prepositioned,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out. (LSJ)