The Department of the Budget and Management (DBM) has assured the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that it will replenish the agency's depleting Quick Response Funds (QRFs).

This was relayed by DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista to President Duterte during the Chief Executive’s  meeting with the members of the Cabinet and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Tuesday night at the Malacanang Golf Clubhouse in Malacanang Park, Manila.

"Mr. President, nag-usap na po kami ni Secretary {Wendel] Avisado, nagpapasalamat po ako sa kanya dahil sinabi po nya ire-replenish po nya ang Quick Response Funds ng DSWD,” Bautista said. 

(Mr. President, I and Secretary Avisado have talked, I am thanking him because he told me he will replenish the Quick Response Funds of the  DSWD.)

He said currently, the DSWD has standby funds amounting to P226.1 million, P184.76 million of which has been earmarked as the available QRF of the Central Office. 

“At present, the Department  has  standby funds, which is also used as quick response funds amounting to P226.1 M, where P184.7 million is available at the Central Office, while the rest is distributed to the different Field Offices,” Bautista said.

He noted that the DSWD initially provided more than P52.4 million in regions affected by super typhoon “Rolly”. 

According to him, around 59, 420 family food packs (FFPs), more than 4,000 bottles of water, and other non-food items were provided to the affected families, 

Bautista said the number of affected families by “Rolly” had reached to more than 500,000 or over 2 million persons in  5, 360 barangays in the eight affected regions— the National Capital Region (NCR), Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

As tropical storm “Ulysses” (international name “Vamco”) is likely to intensify into a typhoon between Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday, the DSWD chief assured Duterte that the agency has already prepositioned its relief supplies for distribution to the areas that will be affected. 

“Mr. President, 'yung ibang family food packs natin ay nakapreposition po 'yan sa mga daungan o kaya sa airport if in case there is available air and naval assets they will be immediately pushed to Region 5, particularly Catanduanes,” Bautista said. 

(Mr. President, the other family food packs have been prepositioned in ports or airports in case there is available air and naval assets, they will be immediately pushed to Region 5, particularly Catanduanes.)