By Brian Campued
Consistent with the earlier directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure sustained relief and recovery efforts following the effects of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that jolted southern Mindanao on June 8, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured continued support to disaster-hit communities.
In a radio interview Wednesday, Asec. Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the agency is ready and has adequate relief supplies to provide additional assistance if needed and at the request of the affected local government units (LGUs).
“As of this morning, more than 303,000 family food packs (FFPs) na yung distributed sa mga pamilyang naapektuhan. Itutuloy natin ito dahil batay doon sa assessment din ng DSWD, together with the LGUs, ay kinakailangan pa nating i-assist itong mga naapektuhan,” Dumlao said.
“On the part of the DSWD, we are ready, we have more than 4.7 million family food packs sa ating national stockpile. Kung kinakailangan pa ng karagdagang augmentation support mula sa ating pamahalaang nasyonal ay gagawin po yan ng DSWD,” she added.
Based on the latest Disaster Response Operations Monitoring, Information, and Communication (DROMIC) report updated 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the DSWD has provided P223.4 million in humanitarian assistance, including FFPs, ready-to-eat food (RTEF), cash aid, and non-food items.
She also assured that all affected areas will be reached, especially geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), noting relief goods are being transported to hard-to-reach locations via air and sea in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Air Force (PAF), and other government agencies.
“Ito ay dahil na rin sa utos ng Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na tiyakin natin na walang pamilyang Pilipino ang magugutom at walang maiiwanan,” Dumlao said.
Aside from food and non-food items, Dumlao said the DSWD is also preparing for the distribution of emergency cash transfer assistance to affected families.
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