BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan — The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Western Visayas (DSWD-6) will be distributing some 12,000 to 15,000 food boxes to residents of Boracay Island affected by the closure starting this Thursday.
Instead of plastic, the food items from DSWD Central Office will be in boxes to ensure that it will be delivered safely and to preserve its quality, said Lisa Camacho, regional action officer of the DSWD 6.
Camacho, in an interview Wednesday, said this is to avoid contamination of goods, similar to what happened during the distribution of food packs last June due to problems in hauling. “We do not want to the same thing to happen,” she said.
Camacho said the DSWD targets to cover about 11,000 households that were administered with disaster assistance-family assistance card in the three barangays of the island.
The food boxes contain at least six kilos of rice, assorted canned goods, and other food items.
“Majority of the rice were also vacuumed packed,” she added.
The schedule of distribution will start on August 9 in Barangay Yapak and on August 10 and 11 in Balabag and Manocmanoc, respectively. “The distribution in every barangay will also be scheduled per sitio,” Camacho added.
Camacho said the distribution of the food packs will be continuously done until all households had been covered.
Meanwhile, the DSWD 6 has already turned over the administration of assistance for an individual in crisis situation to the Local Government Unit of Malay since July 30.
“Those who want to avail financial aid in the form of transportation, medical, education and burial assistance can go to Eurotel Boracay,” Camacho said.
From April 23 to July 29, the DSWD 6 has released a total of PHP41.2 million financial aid as transportation, medical, education and burial assistance to 16,998 clients. (Karen Bermejo/PNA)
