Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured on Wednesday that it will continue monitoring and assisting families displaced by Typhoon Paolo until they have fully recovered.

According to Philippines News Agency, DSWD spokesperson and Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao stated that the department's support extends even to those who have already returned home to help them rebuild and resume normal lives. "It's a good sign that many have returned to their respective homes. The DSWD's Field Office (FO) personnel in Cagayan Valley were among the camp coordinators who helped to ensure that the evacuees could safely return home. Our response, however, does not stop here. Monitoring efforts will continue, particularly for those still reeling from the damage and impact of the typhoon," Dumlao said.

She reported a significant drop in the number of evacuees, from the peak of 9,903 families during the onslaught of Paolo, to only 319 families or 1,170 individuals currently staying in 24 evacuation centers across Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

To date, DSWD Field Offices in the affected regions have provided PHP16 million worth of humanitarian aid, following the round-the-clock relief operations ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian. Since Oct. 3, when Paolo was still inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the agency has distributed 24,026 family food packs (FFPs), 112 boxes of ready-to-eat food, and various non-food items such as family, kitchen, sleeping, and hygiene kits, and family tents. The agency stands to provide additional assistance as needed.

DSWD's Field Offices in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and CAR currently maintain a stockpile of 473,660 FFPs and non-food items worth over PHP 23 million.