The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has sent out a total of 203,708 family food packs (FFPS) as the agency’s 1st wave of augmentation support to 12 local government units (LGUs) hit by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Cebu.
“As of Sunday (October 5), we have released 203,708 as initial aid to the LGUs affected by the earthquake. In just 5 days, our Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) has produced and dispatched food packs to immediately respond to the needs of our affected communities,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said on Monday (October 6).
Recipients of the food packs were the LGUs of Daanbantayan (37,000), Bogo City (26,000), Medellin (25,000), San Remigio (18,000), Tabogon (15,000), Madridejos (13,000), Bantayan (13,000), Borbon (12,000), Sogod (12,000), Catmon (11,708), Tabuelan (11,000), and Sta. Fe (10,000).
“The number of family food packs sent to the LGUs are based on their augmentation requests sent to the Department. We assure the public that this is just the first wave of distribution and DSWD will continue providing food packs as disaster operations are ongoing to ensure that every affected family or individual is provided with assistance,” the DSWD spokesperson said.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out that the more than 203,000 food packs are on top of the supplies already prepositioned in the LGUs prior to the September 30 earthquake.
In the island municipality of Daanbatayan, 69-year-old Geronides Discarten expressed gratitude for the food packs that her family has received.
Geronides shared that one side of their home’s concrete wall caved in during the earthquake. For fear of aftershocks, Geronides, together with her husband and a brother, is currently staying at her child’s place.
The elderly said they are thankful to receive the relief goods, especially since their municipality is hard to reach, and they would also appreciate cash aid in repairing their home.
Aside from the FFPs, the DSWD also distributed ready-to-eat food (RTEF), sanitary kits, and other non-food items (NFIs) for the affected families of the September 30 temblor.
As of press time, four mobile kitchens (MKs) of the DSWD have been dispatched to Cebu to provide hot meals to the displaced families in Bogo City, San Remigio, Medellin, and Daanbantayan.
Three of the MKs are from the Field Offices Calabarzon, Eastern Visayas, and Western Visayas.
Another mobile kitchen from DSWD Field Office 10 -Northern Mindanao is also expected to arrive by Tuesday (October 7), at the latest.
The DSWD Field Office 7- Central Visayas continues to distribute modular tents to augment the resources of the LGUs in providing temporary homes to the displaced families.
In coordination with the LGU and partner national government agencies, a tent city is currently underway in Bogo City.
With IDP camps set up in LGUs, DSWD ‘angels in red vests’ helped organize women and child friendly spaces to provide psycho-social support. In the San Remigio IDP camp, DSWD social workers conducted fun, psycho-social activities for the children.
The DSWD has also provided funeral assistance to the bereaved families of the casualties through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program and extended medical assistance to those injured.
Simultaneous with the relief distribution, the DSWD is preparing for the roll-out of the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program in collaboration with the LGUs.
Through the ECT, the DSWD provides cash assistance specifically to disaster affected families to help them toward the important phase of recovery and rebuilding their lives. (GDVF)
