Davao city: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to begin the rollout of its Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program on Tuesday for families affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Davao Occidental, Sarangani, and General Santos City.

According to Philippines News Agency, more than 139,000 affected families from Region 11 (Davao Region) and Region 12 (Soccsksargen) are expected to receive ECT, with an estimated allocation of more than PHP799.59 million. The provision of ECT aid is part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to the DSWD to ensure that all families affected by the massive earthquake on June 8 receive timely and adequate government assistance as they recover and rebuild their lives toward normalcy.

'Sa Tuesday, pupunta po si Secretary Rex Gatchalian ulit sa mga lugar na labis na naapektuhan ng lindol. Ang ilan sa mga lugar na ito ay ang mga munisipalidad ng Glan at Malapatan sa Sarangani; General Santos City; at Balut Island at Jose Abad Santos sa Davao Occidental (Secretary Gatchalian will again visit the areas severely affected by the earthquake. Some of the areas include the municipalities of Glan and Malapatan in Sarangani; General Santos City; and Balut Island and Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental),' Director Maria Isabel Lanada of the DSWD's Disaster Response Management Bureau said in a news release on Monday.

The DSWD's ECT program is an adaptive strategy that aims to bridge the gap among immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support in disasters and emergencies by providing unconditional cash assistance to disaster-affected families in need.