The Department of Social Welfare and Development has provided over P202 million worth of aid to families affected by recent disasters, including tropical depression “Bising,” the southwest monsoon, the intertropical convergence zone and volcanic activities of Mt. Kanlaon.
Disaster Response Management Bureau director Maria Isabel Lanada said the agency has delivered over 167,000 boxes of family food packs and non-food items to families affected by disasters across several regions.
“If we start off with ‘Bising,’ the total cost of aid is P8.5 million. For ITCZ-affected families, P1.7 million. For Kanlaon, P192 million,” she said.
The DSWD assistance included family food packs, other food supplies and essential non-food items.
The department remains ready to respond to emergencies with adequate stockpiles and standby funds in place, Lanada said.
“We will not have a shortage of family food packs. If you look at it, there are standby funds. Field offices and the central office have P3 million each. The warehouse capacity of the regions, four million packs, the capacity. Those pre-positioned are at three million packs as of this hour,” she said.
To date, the DSWD maintains over P141 million standby funds, comprising P93.81 million quick response fund and the DSWD central office, and P48 million available at the field offices.
