Volunteers from San Juan and San Fernando City, La Union help in the repacking of food packs at the DSWD warehouse in Biday, San Fernando City, La Union.
Volunteers from San Juan and San Fernando City, La Union help in the repacking of food packs at the DSWD warehouse in Biday, San Fernando City, La Union.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to reiterate to the public to stay vigilant and report their situation to authorities as a new low pressure area (LPA) is expected to enhance the monsoon rains affecting  a huge portion of Luzon.

“Patuloy po ang aming paalala sa publiko na mag-ingat at agad makipag-ugnayan sa kanilang lokal na pamahalaan o sa DSWD-Field Offices upang agad namin maihatid ang tulong na kanilang kailangan (We remind the public to remain vigilant and to coordinate with their local government units (LGUs) or DSWD- Field Offices so that we can immediately deliver necessary assistance),” said DSWD Secretary Virginia N. Orogo.

As of today’s 6AM report, a total of P21,062,781.24 worth of assistance has already been provided to affected residents, of which, P14,571,347.24 worth of aid was provided by the DSWD while P6,491,434 worth of assistance was provided by concerned LGUs.

Meanwhile, 253 evacuation centers  set up by LGUs remain open in Regions I, II, CALABARZON, NCR, and CAR providing temporary shelter to 22,648 families or 102,315 individuals.

In addition, the Department, as the lead agency in camp coordination and camp management, has assigned social workers to  conduct visitation and needs assessment in evacuation centers  to ensure the welfare and protection of evacuees

The DSWD FO-NCR also confirmed that 100% of the evacuation centers in Metro Manila have child and women-friendly spaces to ensure the safety of children.

In the Southern Tagalog Region, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Offices (MSWDOs) of affected LGUs are consistently reporting to the DSWD FO-CALABARZON regarding the conduct of profiling of affected families, provision of hot meals, and other relief efforts.

Lastly, the Department maintains its heightened alert status by continuing its coordination and monitoring on the status of affected cities and municipalities through its field offices for significant reports and updates. ###