Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday (July 23) said the agency has distributed over 200,000 family food packs (FFPs) to families who are still reeling from the combined effects of Tropical Cyclone ‘Crising’ and the habagat.
In an interview over DZMM on Wednesday morning, Secretary Gatchalian said these food packs have not only reached families inside evacuation centers, but also those assisted by local government units (LGUs) in house-to-house relief operations.
“Base sa datos namin ngayong umaga, yung nasa loob ng mga evacuation centers natin ay 34,000 na pamilya pero ang na-distribute na natin na food packs ay more than 200,000 na. So bakit malaki yung naibigay na kesa sa loob ng evacuation center? May mga lugar kasi na sobrang widespread na yung problem… ang ginagawa ng mga LGUs binabangka isa-isa — house to house delivery. ‘Yung tulungan natin ngayon ng local at national government units, madikit talaga,” Secretary Gatchalian told DZMM.
The DSWD chief told the program anchors that the number of dispatched FFPs is expected to soar to more than 300,000 as the agency continues to process the requests for relief augmentation of disaster-stricken LGUs.
In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr’s directive to ensure the welfare of disaster-hit families, the DSWD chief has been making rounds of evacuation centers in Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal and in different parts of Metro Manila that were among areas that bore the brunt of the habagat and ‘Crising.’
Secretary Gatchalian will carry this over today in open evacuation centers in the cities of Las Piñas, Pasig, Caloocan, and Navotas.
“Pag nag-anunsyo na ang mga LGU, panawagan ko sa mga taumbayan sumunod na tayo, ‘pag sinabi ni Mayor na lumikas, lumikas na tayo. Eto ang assurance ng DSWD, pag nasa loob kayo ng evacuation center tutulungan namin kayo. Huwag kayong matakot pumunta sa evacuation centers,” Secretary Gatchalian said as he urged Filipinos to prioritize their safety.
Aside from the 200,000 FFPs provided, the agency has also delivered ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, the latest addition into the agency’s relief supplies.
The RTEF is actively tapped in relief operations, particularly in port areas for stranded passengers, and as initial aid to evacuees while community kitchens in temporary shelters have yet to be set-up.
In Central Luzon, the Mobile Kitchen of the DSWD is upscaling the LGUs’ capacities to provide hot meals to families inside evacuation centers.
“Umaandar tayo 365 days, hindi lang bagyo ang binabantayan natin eh. Sa ilalim nga ng programa natin na Buong Bansa Handa, 3 million ang naka-preposition sa mga kulang-kulang na 1,000 warehouses natin nationwide. So, pag tumama kung saan man, kasi katulad nitong Crising at habagat na ang lawak ng epekto, sabay sabay kailangan kumikilos ang Field Offices natin, nakakagalaw tayo ng mabilis,” Secretary Gatchalian said. (LSJ)