The Department of Social Welfare and Development has distributed over P30.8 million in emergency cash transfer assistance to 5,604 families affected by Typhoon Uwan in the province of Sorsogon, Bicol Region.
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response and Management Group, who also serves as agency spokesperson, said the department continues to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of assistance to disaster-affected families amid the holiday season.
“Our countrymen need this kind of help from the government even more at this time. As Secretary Rex Gatchalian always says, even though many offices are resting now, we at the DSWD continue our operations,” Dumlao said over the weekend.
The DSWD’s Field Office 5–Bicol Region facilitated the emergency cash transfer payout in Sorsogon City.
Families whose houses were totally damaged received P10,263 each, while those with partially damaged houses received P5,287.
In the municipality of Donsol, 128 families with totally damaged houses and 2,600 families with partially damaged houses received their respective cash assistance.
In the municipality of Pilar, 174 families with totally damaged houses and 2,702 families with partially damaged houses also received the emergency cash aid.
The DSWD spokesperson reassured families listed by their respective Municipal Social Welfare and Development Offices but who have yet to receive their cash aid that the department will continue the distribution through succeeding payout batches.
“Emergency cash transfer payouts are given per batch. In fact, today the DSWD Field Office 5 is distributing another batch in the same province. Emergency cash payouts are also continuing in other provinces,” the spokesperson said.
The release of emergency cash transfer assistance eases the burden of families still recovering from the effects of past disasters.
Beneficiaries expressed relief and gratitude upon receiving their long-awaited support just days before Christmas.
The DSWD’s emergency cash transfer serves as an adaptive government strategy that bridges immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support by providing unconditional cash assistance to disaster-affected families in need of intervention.
This initiative aligns with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the leadership of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian to fast-track the recovery of Filipino families affected by disasters.
