Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday announced that the agency will provide cash assistance to eligible families affected by the combined effects of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and Severe Tropical Storm “Crising.”
“The President, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., always says you can’t find all the needs of a family in that box. Because [there are other needs], there is medicine, there is milk, various things,” Gatchalian said in a mix of English and Filipino during a radio interview, referring to the DSWD’s family food packs (FFPs).
According to the Social Welfare Secretary, cash assistance is essential to families whose homes or livelihoods were damaged and who need help with rebuilding or purchasing items not covered by the FFPs.
He said the DSWD has already identified several areas—particularly in low-lying, flood-prone communities—that will be provided with cash aid under the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
Alongside the financial assistance, the DSWD continues to provide FFPs to affected communities.
The production of FFPs at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City and at the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City, Cebu, will continue to maintain a steady supply.
