An official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has assured the public that the agency is prepared for the upcoming La Niña phenomenon.
Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) for Disaster Response Leo Quintilla, who is concurrent Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB), said the DSWD already had a meeting with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to prepare for the possible scenarios during the La Niña season.
Quintilla said the DSWD meeting with PAGASA last May was upon the instruction of Secretary Rex Gatchalian who wanted the Department to be always prepared whenever there are impending calamities like the La Niña.
Quintilla explained that the DSWD will be implementing its Buong Bansa Handa disaster preparedness program to ensure the sufficiency of supplies during the La Niña season.
Buong Bansa Handa will tap two supply chains to deliver the basic food and non-food requirements of disaster victims. The first supply chain will feature an expanded network of warehouse facilities of local government units (LGUs) provincial governments, other national government agencies, while the other one will be through partnerships with the private sector through framework agreements or supply agreements.
