Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already provided PHP549,000 worth of assistance to families affected by the effects of the low-pressure area and the southwest monsoon or 'habagat,' an agency official said on Monday. During Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the assistance, in the form of family food packs (FFPs) and other non-food items, was distributed to families in Bulacan in Central Luzon, and Zamboanga City in Region 9 - the two areas greatly affected by the LPA and "habagat".
According to Philippines News Agency, Dumlao emphasized that this initiative aligns with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure the swift and efficient distribution of assistance to disaster-affected areas. Dumlao noted that the provided assistance is just the initial support and expressed expectations for the amount to increase as the DSWD continues to coordinate with local government units (LGUs) to address further requests for augmentation assistance.
Based on their monitoring, Dumlao reported that more than 2,500 families, or around 8,600 individuals, in Central Luzon were affected by the "habagat". Of these, 10 families or 49 individuals in Bulacan were sent to evacuation areas. Meanwhile, around 1,200 families or 4,340 individuals in 14 barangays in Zamboanga City were impacted by the LPA and "habagat", with 641 families or approximately 2,500 individuals residing in different evacuation centers.
Reports indicated that 65 houses, one in Bulacan and 64 in Zamboanga City, were partially damaged due to the calamities. Dumlao assured that the DSWD has a sufficient supply of FFPs and other relief items through the implementation of the Buong Bansa Handa (BBH) program, which aims to ensure the well-being of Filipinos during calamities.
The BBH program is a comprehensive approach that coordinates government and private sector resources, enabling a swift and thorough response to natural disasters while protecting the affected families and individuals. Dumlao stated that the DSWD currently has three million boxes of FFPs prepositioned in 938 warehouses across the country.
'Sa kasalukuyan ang ating standby funds and stockpiles ay nagkakahalaga ng mahigit PHP3.2 billion. And patuloy pa rin po tayo na nagpo-produce ng family food packs diyan sa ating National Resource Operation Center (NROC) and sa Visayas Disaster Response Center (VDRC) sapagkat ang atin pong target talaga is to maintain 3 million family food packs as national stockpile,' Dumlao said.
