The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to remain under red alert status as thousands of Filipinos affected by Typhoon Ulysses continue to clamor for aid and relief.
DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista made his rounds in evacuation centers in the National Capital Region on Friday to check on the condition of the temporary shelters.
As head of the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Bautista made sure that these centers have established child and women-friendly spaces and adhered to basic health standards especially in light of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Bautista, also the head of the Food and Non-Food Cluster, checked on the distribution of family food packs (FFPs). Around 1,000 were handed over to families in Barangay Silangan, Quezon City and 1,400 FFPs and 400 sleeping kits were given to evacuees in Barangka Elementary School in Marikina City.
Bautista likewise touched base with the ground commanders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) and asked about the rescue operations in Provident Village in Marikina City, which is one of the places hardest hit by the typhoon.
Meanwhile, DSWD Assistant Secretary Rodolfo Encabo was in the Southern Tagalog region to check on the warehouses of DSWD Field Office CALABARZON. Encabo wanted to make sure that they have enough stockpiles in the region.
More than 96,000 families or 350,000 individuals from 1,757 barangays in Regions NCR, I, II, III, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, V and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) have been affected by the typhoon.
DSWD has already augmented assistance worth P3.9 million to Regions I, II, and V. The money will cover the provision of relief assistance to families who were affected by the flooding and heavy rains brought by Typhoon Ulysses.