By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
On the heels of a fire in Tondo on August 6 that smoldered hundreds of houses, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) led the payout of the agency’s Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) vis-à-vis distribution of relief goods to displaced families.
The cash aid, amounting to P13.5 million, was provided to 900 affected families on Saturday, providing them with financial assistance to help rebuild their homes and lives in the wake of the fire.
“Pinapunta ho ako mismo dito ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., para magdala ng karagdagang tulong para sa inyong lahat. Nung nabalitaan niya, agad agad, nautusan kami ng aming pangulo na magdala ng food packs na nandito na nung isang araw at may dagdag na 15,000 pesos ngayong araw,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian told beneficiaries during the payout held at the Vicente Lim Elementary School in Tondo.
“Cash ang binibigay natin kasi alam natin na may iba-iba silang pangangailangan para sila ay ma-empower na pumili kung ano yung uunahin nila,” the Social Welfare chief added.
Each beneficiary received P15,109 to assist their recovery in the aftermath of the fire that gutted their houses. The recipients were also affected by the combined effects of Typhoons Crising, Dante, Emong, and the intensified habagat last July.
The ECT is DSWD’s cash assistance program that extends financial resources to beneficiaries affected by major disasters, helping them on their path towards recovery.
Also present during the payout were Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe and Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), Director Isabel Lanada of the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB), and National Capital Region (NCR) Assistant Director for Operations Bienvenido Barbosa Jr.
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