The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office (FO) VII, together with public and private organizations in Central Visayas, worked together to distribute donations and relief assistance to families affected by Typhoon Odette.

DSWD FO VII staff and volunteers from various organizations helped each other in the repacking of Family Food Packs (FFPs) and other relief goods, while some assisted in the releasing, loading, and escorting of relief items to different transportation channels.

To hasten the distribution of aid in remote areas, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) lent their black hawk choppers, while the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Marines also utilized their vessels and marine patrol boats to reach victims residing in island barangays.

Likewise, private sector partners, namely Maayo Shipping, Matiao Trucking, and Cebu Oversea Hardware Co., Inc., through the Cebu Contractors Association, assisted in the distribution of relief assistance using their wing vans for point-to-point delivery and hauling services of raw materials.

Meanwhile, as of January 5, 6AM DSWD has provided more than P287 million worth of relief assistance to typhoon-hit families. Of which, more than P94 million worth of food and non-food items were augmented by the DSWD FO VII to localities affected by the typhoon.

The DSWD will continue to augment the necessary resources to assist affected local government units, which are the first responders in disasters and calamities as stipulated in Republic Act (RA) 10121 or the Philippines Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. ###