BORACAY ISLAND — Additional personnel under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be deployed in this island to be able to assist more displaced workers, as well as their families amid the six months closure and rehabilitation.
In a press conference Friday, DSWD officer-in-charge Emmanuel Leyco said that they will also be transferring their operation center to a bigger venue and working hours might be extended 24/7 to accommodate more clients.
But Leyco cannot disclose yet how many personnel will be added.
The center started with only two social workers but as the demand increased, the department beefed up its workforce.
As of the moment, 90 personnel are manning the existing DSWD’s operation center located at the Station 2 of the island.
Leyco said thousands of residents and workers are flocking to the center to seek financial assistance since April 7.
“We anticipate that this might pick up so we are going to expand. We are bringing in more staff, we are bringing in more resources to Boracay and hopefully in the next few days, things will settle down,” he said,
“I understand people are very anxious, people are agitated because they lost their sources of livelihood,” he added
Meanwhile, Leyco assured residents and workers in Boracay that they will relentlessly provide assistance to them.
As of 9 p.m. of April 26, DSWD already provided assistance to 1, 340 displaced workers and families and spent PHP3 million for their assistance.
Junel Nagamos, 28 and one of those who availed the assistance, received PHP500 transportation assistance to go back to his hometown in Kalibo, Aklan.
Prior to the closure, he worked as a housekeeper in one of the hotels in the island for three years.
Another beneficiary is Luis Austria, 45, who got PHP1,000 financial aid, also for his transportation and meal allowance in going home to Tigbauan, Iloilo.
He said that he will look for a new job in Iloilo to provide for his family especially continue sending his two children to school.
Both expressed thanks to DSWD for helping them. (PNA)
