The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has activated its “Red Alert” status as Tropical Depression “Wilma” continues to approach the country, affecting the Bicol Region and some parts of the Visayas.
“Since yesterday, the DSWD and our Disaster Response Command Center (DRCC) have been on red alert status. Our agency and Field Offices (FOs) are focused so that we can continue to deliver the necessary assistance to our countrymen affected by Wilma,” Social Welfare Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said in a mix of English and Filipino.
According to the DSWD official, all FOs in the affected regions are continuously coordinating with the local government units (LGUs) to ensure a timely and well-coordinated response.
She assured the public that the DSWD has enough family food packs (FFPs), ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and other needed relief items.
As of press time, the Social Welfare Department maintains P2.1-billion worth of relief stockpiles and standby funds.
“Even if there is no typhoon or calamity, DSWD and our volunteers continue repacking at our Luzon Disaster Resource Center (LDRC) in Pasay City and Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City, Cebu. So we are ready to respond immediately to the request for relief assistance,” Dumlao said.
Aside from relief assistance, the DSWD spokesperson said the department’s mobile command centers (MCC) and mobile kitchens are also ready for deployment to facilitate the swift delivery of assistance.
