By Charissa Luci-Atienza
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista assured the public on Wednesday (Feb. 12) they have enough funds to sustain their Taal relief operations.
(AP Photo/Aaron Favila/DSWD/MANILA BULLETIN)
He said the agency will continue to deliver assistance to the victims of the Jan. 12 Taal eruption, especially to the 4,422 families or 15,920 persons staying in evacuation centers.
"If worst comes, we have a budget just to ensure that provision of food and non-food items for the victims will not run out," Bautista told reporters in an interview after the ceremonial signing of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11299, also known as An Act Establishing the Office for the Social Welfare Attaché, at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City.
"Sa ngayon (For now), we are taking the cue from Phivolcs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology)," he said.
Alert Level 3 is maintained over Taal Volcano, according to Phivolcs.
Bautista noted that the DSWD Regional Offices have standby funds amounting to P3 million, while the DSWD Central Office has more than P200 million standby funds.
He said based on their latest data, 133,084 families or 499,929 persons have been affected by the Taal eruption, while 4,422 families or 15,920 persons are staying in evacuation centers, and 54,100 families or 198,115 persons are outside the evacuation centers.
Based on the Jan. 28 DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) report, the agency has extended P9.8 million in aid to the Taal eruption victims.
The DSWD has received at least P3.6 million in cash donations for the victims of the recent calamities that struck the country, particularly those displaced by the eruption of Taal Volcano.
According to the DSWD's "statement of cash donations for various purposes" as of Feb. 10, 11:15 a.m., P3,576,990 has been donated by both private and public sectors, and religious and humanitarian groups.
The bulk of the cash donations – P2 million -- came from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which handed the amount to DSWD Rolando Bautista at the Comelec Office in Intramuros, Manila on Monday (Feb. 10).
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