The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided over P7.8 million worth of humanitarian aid to families affected by Tropical Depression (TD) Wilma, underscoring the government’s continuing response to communities hit by the weather disturbance.
As of Tuesday (Dec. 9), the DSWD’s concerned Field Offices (FOs) have distributed family food packs (FFPs), ready-to-eat food (RTEFs) boxes, non-food items (NFIs), and other emergency relief services.
In a statement, Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the DSWD’s FOs have been continuously coordinating with the affected local government units (LGUs) to assess the needs of the affected families and individuals.
Despite nearing the year-end, Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, assured the affected families that the Department is ready to respond to the request of LGUs for augmentation support.
“Ang DSWD po ay handang tumugon sa mga pangangailangan ng mga naapektuhan ni Wilma at ng mga nakaraang kalamidad. May sapat po tayong supplies. May bagyo, may kalamidad o wala, patuloy po ang ating mga production hub sa pag produce ng family food packs kasi alam naman natin na ang ating bansa ay nasa Pacific ring of fire at very prone sa mga hazards kaya naman tayo ay naghahanda sa mga kalamidad,” Dumlao said.
(The DSWD is ready to respond to the needs of those affected by Wilma and previous disasters. We have enough supplies. Whether there is a typhoon, disaster, or not, our production hubs will continue to produce family food packs because we know that our country is in the Pacific ring of fire and very prone to hazards; that’s why we are preparing for disasters.)
The DSWD spokesperson noted that the proactive preparations are in line with President Marcos’ directive to ensure that families affected by disasters are immediately provided with food and other basic needs.
Based on the DSWD’s December 9 Disaster Response Operations Management, Information and Communication (DROMIC) report, a total of 4,157 families remain in evacuation centers due to the effects of TD Wilma.
Most internally displaced persons (IDPs) are in Romblon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Masbate, and several areas across Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas.
Aside from the IDPs, the Department has also extended assistance to individuals and families who were stranded in various ports due to the weather disturbance.
