By Brian Campued
As part of ongoing disaster response operations in earthquake-hit areas in Mindanao, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has deployed its mobile kitchens to General Santos City and Sarangani Province to provide free hot meals to affected residents.
According to DSWD’s social media update this Saturday, one mobile kitchen is stationed in General Santos Oval Plaza providing cooked food daily for internally displaced persons during breakfast (6:00 a.m.), lunch (11:00 a.m.), and dinner (6:00 p.m.).
In Glan, Sarangani, which is among the areas considered as the ground zero of the 7.8-magnitude tremor last June 8, two mobile kitchens were deployed at the Glan Command Center to prepare the food aid, while another two roving trucks distributed hot meals around the municipality.
Meanwhile, to ensure that relief and other essential services are promptly delivered to communities recovering from the disaster, the DSWD also set up mobile command centers (MCC) in General Santos Oval Plaza, Glan Municipal Gym, and Malapatan Municipal Hall.
Aside from supporting coordination among national and local authorities and monitoring of relief operations, the MCCs also provide free internet connectivity and charging stations so that residents can contact their loved ones and inform them of their situations.
“Habang nagpapatuloy ang relief operations, nananatiling nakahanda ang DSWD para maghatid hindi lamang ng pagkain kundi pati ng mahahalagang serbisyo para sa mga komunidad na naapektuhan ng magnitude 7.8 na lindol,” the department said.
As of 6:00 p.m. on June 12, the DSWD has distributed a total of 71,431 family food packs (FFPs), 7,428 ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and 3,462 non-food items as part of augmentation support in Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 11 (Davao Region), and 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN).
Based on the latest Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication (DROMIC) report on Saturday morning, there were around 139,583 families or 561,040 individuals affected by the earthquake across 402 barangays in Regions 9, 11, and 12, as well as in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Of these, 2,269 families or 9,959 persons are being served inside 28 evacuation centers, while 13,480 families or 54,274 individuals are taking temporary shelter with their friends or relatives.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian likewise flew to Malita, Davao Occidental and Glan to personally lead a coordination meeting with local officials, conduct on-site inspections in affected areas, and ensure timely delivery of assistance to displaced residents.
The ongoing relief operations follow President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive for an intensified and swift whole-of-government response during emergencies and calamities.
-jpv
