The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has extended crucial support to 1,600 families across various barangays in Negros Occidental severely impacted by the eruption of Mount Kanlaon earlier this month.
According to the DSWD, 569 families from La Castellana and Bago City each received ₱10,000 in financial assistance, amounting to a total of ₱15.79 million through the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program.
In addition to the financial aid, the DSWD distributed 288 hygiene kits, 97 sleeping kits, 193 family kits, and 194 family food packs to the affected families.
Lawyer May Rago-Castillo, the DSWD Western Visayas Information Officer, assured that no family would be displaced, emphasizing that the regional office is prepared to assist them with essential needs and provide psycho-social support to the evacuees.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, alongside DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, led the distribution of financial assistance and food packs at evacuation centers.
Gatchalian had earlier instructed lawyer Carmelo Nochete, the DSWD Western Visayas Regional Director, to oversee the welfare of families displaced by the volcanic eruption.
Additionally, the Malasakit team of Senator Christopher Lawrence Go and Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Lacson provided further support to the evacuees in various centers across Negros Occidental and Oriental.
A total of 1,325 family food packs were distributed to evacuees from Bago City, Pontevedra, La Carlota City, La Castellana, and Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental.
As of June 13, data from the Office of the National Defense (OCD) revealed that 20 barangays in Negros Occidental and five in Central Visayas were affected by the volcanic eruption. This involved a total of 8,580 families or 29,739 individuals.
The Department of Agriculture reported that 3,890.5 metric tons of various agricultural products were damaged by the eruption, exacerbating the impact on local communities.