Negros island: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its field office in the Negros Island Region, is prepared to assist families impacted by the recent moderate explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Thursday evening. According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD's Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG) stated that the department has inaugurated a mechanized production system at the Visayas Disaster Resource Operations Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City, Cebu. This system can produce large quantities of family food packs (FFPs) that can be readily distributed to affected areas in the Negros Island. Assistant Secretary Dumlao explained that with this mechanized packing system, the department is capable of producing approximately 30,000 family food boxes a day under extreme conditions. This capability ensures the rapid provision of assistance and response to the needs of affected individuals during massive and simultaneous disasters. The VDRC c urrently maintains an inventory of more than 379,000 FFPs ready for distribution across the Visayas and Mindanao regions. In addition, the DSWD NIR field office holds over 222,000 food packs in its spokes and last mile warehouses. The VDRC supplies goods that the DSWD prepositions in various parts of Visayas and Mindanao, with plans underway for establishing the Mindanao Disaster Resource Center (MDRC). Assistant Secretary Dumlao noted that the MDRC's initial phase of construction is set for this year, with PHP500 million allocated under the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). The government is committed to strengthening disaster preparedness, production, and prepositioning of goods to enhance disaster response operations. The DSWD is also integrating new technologies to bolster its disaster response capacity, including introducing robotics in its production line and implementing an enhanced inventory system for better monitoring of food boxes. These improvements align with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr's directive to ensure the department's efficiency and omnipresence during disasters.