Cebu: Families affected by the magnitude 6.9 tremor will still have a taste of home-cooked food as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) deployed three more mobile kitchens to serve hot meals in select evacuation sites.

According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD's Disaster Response Management Group stated that the agency's offices in Calabarzon, Eastern Visayas, and Western Visayas have sent their mobile kitchens to augment the resources of DSWD 7 (Central Visayas). This move aims to ensure that Cebuanos will not go hungry during these challenging times, as instructed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

'Each region is allocated with a mobile kitchen as part of the department's intensified disaster response initiatives. The food truck facilities were distributed to the field offices in the first quarter of the year,' Dumlao explained.

With thousands of families displaced by the temblor that struck Cebu's northeastern towns and cities on September 30, the DSWD has maintained a steady supply of relief items, including family food packs (FFPs), ready-to-eat food (RTEF), and hot meals.

Dumlao emphasized the importance of providing hot meals to prevent affected individuals and families from experiencing 'FFP-fatigue.' Additionally, the DSWD acknowledges the necessity of ensuring that evacuees have access to nutritious food during this unfortunate time.

The DSWD-7's mobile kitchen has been operating in Bogo City since October 1. The mobile kitchen from Western Visayas arrived early on Saturday and proceeded to the San Remigio Sports Complex in San Remigio town. Meanwhile, the mobile kitchens from Calabarzon and Eastern Visayas are on their way to Cebu and are expected to be operational by either Sunday or Monday.

In addition to the mobile kitchens, various DSWD field offices have also dispatched disaster teams to assist in the relief operations of DSWD-7.