By Brian Campued
“Our Department stands ready to help.”
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Sec. Rex Gatchalian assured residents affected by the onslaught of Tropical Storm Ramil in Capiz over the weekend that they would receive timely government support, as directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Gatchalian visited evacuation centers across Capiz on Tuesday to check on the situation of families affected by heavy flooding as well as assist the local government units in providing relief and recovery interventions.
“Ang assurance po sa inyo ay kasama ang Presidente sa pagbangon ng inyong komunidad. Walang malaki o maliit na sakuna dahil lahat ng naapektuhan ay tutulungan, dahil bawat buhay ay mahalaga,” he said during a visit in Panay, Capiz.
As of 6:00 p.m., 21 Oct. 2025, on Tuesday, the DSWD has distributed 34,996 FFPs in areas affected by Ramil across Central Luzon, CALABARZON, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas—with over 16,000 FFPs released to Capiz alone.
An additional 30,000 FFPs had also been deployed from the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Mandaue City, Cebu.
Gatchalian stressed that even before calamities hit, the agency has a stockpile of 2 million FFPs prepositioned in its regional warehouses across the country—ready for deployment and distribution whenever needed.
“Ang programa ng ating Pangulo ay prepositioning, hindi tayo naghahanda ng goods ‘pag nandyan na ang kalamidad. 365 days a year, tuloy-tuloy ang pag–iimbak natin ng stockpile,” he said.
The DSWD chief added that affected residents in Capiz—which has also been placed under state of calamity—will also receive financial aid through an emergency cash transfer payout “as soon as possible” to support their early recovery.
-jpv
