Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian emphasized on Monday (July 21) that the key to the swift and efficient distribution of relief items to disaster-stricken areas is the strategic prepositioning of relief goods in some 1,000 warehouses across the country.
“Bago tumama si Crising, nasa 3.1 million na family food packs (FFPs) ang nakaimbak sa [higit-kumulang] isang libo nating warehouse nationwide. So, iyan ngayon yung ginagamit natin. So, we’re more than ready,” Secretary Gatchalian said in an interview over radio station DZBB.
According to Secretary Gatchalian, instead of getting the relief items from the National Resource Operation Center (NROC) — the DSWD’s main disaster response hub located in Pasay City — local government units (LGUs) in the provinces can easily get their family food packs (FFPs) from the various regional and last mile warehouses.
The DSWD’s prepositioning of FFPs nationwide is under the Buong Bansa Handa program, which is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that no Filipino will get hungry in times of disasters and emergencies.
“Hindi ‘yong pagka may bagyo lang saka tayo maghahanda, magagahol tayo. Ang instruksyon ng ating Pangulo, dapat all year long naghahanda tayo, nag-preposition, nagpapadala. Hindi lang bagyo ang binabantayan natin. Meron tayong bulkan, may earthquake, may mga sunog. So, kadalasan ang napapansin lang itong malalaking mga sakuna pero may mga maliliit na sakuna na hinaharap rin ng DSWD,” the DSWD chief said.
Secretary Gatchalian told DZBB that around 65,000 boxes of FFPs have already been dispatched to help families affected by Tropical Cyclone Crising and the lingering effect of the ‘habagat.’
“Sa talaan namin, total na-affected na pamilya, ibig sabi nyan naapektuhan ng kasalukuyang sama ng panahon, ay 225,000 nationwide. Pero ang nasa loob ng evacuation center, kulang-kulang 10,000. Pero ang DSWD kahit wala ka sa loob ng evacuation center, pero nasa area ka na flooded talaga. E nagbigay rin tayo ng tulong. Sa katunayan, ang nailabas na natin na family food packs, 65,000 na at tuloy-tuloy pa ang paglabas,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
The DSWD chief said that of the 65,000 FFPs, the bulk of these relief goods were delivered to LGUs which do not have the necessary resources to cope with emergencies and calamities.
“Itong 65,000 na nilabas namin, actually ngayon nasa Pampanga ako kasama ko si Gov. Pineda, dito kami nag-didistribute sa mga areas na mas maliit ang mga local government units natin at medyo hirap to cope. Galing kami sa Marilao, galing kami sa Balagtas, ngayon nasa Pampanga kami. At itong 65,000 ‘yan ‘yong mga nasa labas ng Metro Manila. Karamihan yan na mga requests for augmentation nakukuha namin sa local government units na mas maliliit,” Secretary Gatchalian explained.
The DSWD chief assured all LGUs that the agency has enough food and non-food supplies, including ready-to-eat food (RTEF) which are being distributed in evacuation centers prior to the setting up of community kitchens by the local government. (AKDL).