The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to provide uninterrupted relief operations and financial assistance to families affected by the Mayon Volcano unrest while simultaneously initiating efforts to retrofit evacuation facilities against extreme heat.

Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) presented to the media the recent data showing the Field Office – 5 Bicol Region’s Mayon Volcano disaster response operations during the DSWD’s Thursday Media Forum on May 7.

“As of 6 am this morning, we’ve recorded more than 70,000 affected families diyan po sa Region 5, equivalent to more 286,000 individuals po iyan,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said on Thursday.

Disaster monitoring teams have also recorded 1,132 families or 4,106 individuals still taking temporary shelter across 12 open evacuation centers, with 26 families, or 85 individuals, temporarily staying outside these designated evacuation centers.

“Ang Department of Social Welfare and Development ay nakahanda po na suportahan yung mga local government units (LGUs). This has been agreement with the provincial government early this year, na kung saan nga po ay every 15 days ay mamamahagi tayo ng mga family food packs, and that is what we are doing for the past months already,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao told reporters.

To sustain the daily needs of the displaced populations, the DSWD has already distributed 100,257 family food packs (FFPS), 1,402 ready-to-eat-food (RTEF) boxes and 7,634 non-food items (NFIs) containing essential hygiene kits and kitchen supplies.

The DSWD spokesperson reported that aside from the FFPs, the DSWD Field Office 5 has also mobilized the mobile kitchen to provide hot and nutritious meals to the displaced families to prevent food pack fatigue.

Beyond basic provisions, humanitarian interventions have expanded through cash-for-work (CFW) and emergency cash transfer (ECT) modalities that have released a total of Php56,856,500 in financial aid to support vulnerable households.

As the lead agency for Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), the DSWD is now taking proactive measures to shield internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the adverse effects of soaring temperatures.

“Likewise, we’re currently discussing how to retrofit our evacuation centers para ma-protektahan nga po, ma insulate yung ating mga camps, mga tents from the effects of the elevated heat temperatures, and likewise we’re checking on the proper ventilation, again to ensure that our IDPs who are currently in the evacuation centers are somehow protected from the effects of the elevated heat temperatures,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.

In addressing the El Nino-triggered extremely high temperature, Asst. Secretary Dumlao said ongoing discussions are currently being held to revise the 2021 Joint Memorandum Circular on CCCM to effectively integrate heat emergency planning nationwide.

“Actually isa sa nakikita natin na pwedeng idagdag sa ating mga evacuation centers ay isang cooling area. So yung cooling area na yan, equipped yan with the necessary mechanisms, Ano yan? Air cooling machines. Kabilang na diyan yung air conditioning units, and also yung iba pang mga kagamitan, to make the heat temperatures more cooler,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.

To ensure national readiness for prolonged displacement, Asst. Secretary Dumlao told the media that the DSWD maintains a massive stockpile of relief goods to immediately augment local resources.

“This is in line with the directive of the President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to DSWD to ensure the fast and sustained provision of assistance to families affected by disasters,” the DSWD spokesperson said.

The DSWD’s national stockpile currently holds 4,696,978 boxes of FFPS strategically prepositioned across the country, and a total standby fund worth Php1,209 billion to guarantee immediate response during prolonged emergency scenarios. (KI)