Iloilo city: Humanitarian assistance extended to families affected by the combined effects of the southwest monsoon and Severe Tropical Storm Crising has reached over PHP32 million, latest data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) showed. In a report during the Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) on Wednesday, DSWD disaster response information and management section head Claud Jan Marquez said that from 4,455 families from 30 local government units (LGUs) initially provided with assistance on July 17, the number rose to 86,707 families from 62 LGUs on Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, 'We have 232 affected families inside evacuation centers and 154 displaced families outside evacuation centers. Most of them are in the province of Iloilo and Iloilo City,' Marquez said. As of Tuesday, he said only 29 evacuation centers are still open, and would have been down to zero by Wednesday if Tropical Storm Dante (international name Francisco) had not developed.

'All in all, the stakeholders, including the local government units, non-governmental organizations and DSWD, have responded with PHP32.46 million worth of assistance; PHP25.6 million coming from DSWD Field Office 6,' Marquez said. Based on data, Negros Occidental received PHP17.36 million worth of food and non-food items, followed by Antique with PHP3.76 million, and Iloilo City with PHP2.4 million.

In Aklan, the assistance amounted to PHP558,328; Capiz - PHP991,356; and Iloilo - PHP511,112. To date, he said DSWD FO-6 still has a total of PHP124.18 million in standby funds and prepositioned relief goods stockpiled in their regional warehouses in Oton, Iloilo and Bacolod City, as well as in 67 local government units across the region.