Over Php 32 million in relief aid has been extended by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to local government units (LGUs) that were affected by the widespread rains and floodings in Mindanao and some parts of the Visayas, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Thursday (May 29).
“The cost of assistance immediately soared this high as the agency moved round-the-clock to provide immediate aid to disaster-stricken communities in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr for the families to have peace of mind amid the disaster,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
Since May 15, the effects of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) brought heavy rains in different parts of Mindanao, triggering flash floods and landslides.
Last May 27, still due to the ITCZ, Iloilo City experienced continuous heavy rains which caused flooding in low-lying areas and barangays near creeks and riverbanks.
Based on the latest report of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Management, Information and Communication (DROMIC), a total of 107,700 families or 334,579 individuals in 254 barangays in Region 6 (Western Visayas) and the Mindanao regions were impacted by the effects of the ITCZ.
Secretary Gatchalian assured the affected areas that bringing aid to all disaster-hit populations is on top of the DSWD’s priority, even in the farthest communities and those still submerged in floodwaters.
Disaster response personnel in the agency’s Field Offices (FOs) in Mindanao and Western Visayas are simultaneously leading the delivery and distribution activities of FFPs in coordination with LGUs.
“Barely 24-hours after nung flooding incident sa municipality ng Jaro sa Iloilo City, pinuntahan rin agad ng mga personnel natin ang mga apektadong pamilya doon para i-check ang kanilang kalagayan at bigyan ng family food packs,” the DSWD chief said.
Secretary Gatchalian emphasized that despite the continuous release of aid to the disaster-hit population, the agency’s stockpile is enough to sustain simultaneous relief operations in the affected localities.
“Our food packs are already prepositioned diyan sa mga warehouse natin sa region. The DSWD is also closely coordinating with the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) ng Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) para lahat -kumbaga wala maiiwanan sa pamamahagi ng tulong,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
The DSWD maintains a total of 545,806 FFPs and close to Php 240 million worth of non-food items such as family, kitchen, and sleeping kits, among others, across the Mindanao Region and in Western Visayas. (LSJ)