TACLOBAN CITY - Have you noticed that disaster relief packs distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) no longer contain instant noodles?
People from disaster-prone areas like Eastern Visayas could tell the difference. From food items wrapped in sando bags, relief packages are now neatly packed in a convenient box and sealed with tape.
DSWD-8 regional director Grace Subong said instant noodles have been replaced with cereals and coffee for over five years now.
"One of the things we saw is the difficulty in handling. We also understand that the component of instant noodles, which is the reason why we no longer put them in our relief packs," she shared.
She added that it usually easily gets damaged when transported to disaster areas, while some people have also expressed concern about its nutritional value.
Subong said they also ensure that food packs will not be used for politics since there are no visible names or photos of politicians printed on the packaging.
DSWD has readied 20,600 Family Food Pack (FFPs) as Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal #1 has been issued in some parts of Eastern Visayas while 'Odette' enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
They are stored in different strategic warehouses in the region.
These include 14,626 FFPs in the Regional Resource Operations Section, 1,200 in Eastern Samar, 3,694 in Northern Samar, 980 in Samar, and 100 in Biliran with a total worth of P10,385,473.31.
She added that each food pack contains six kilos of rice, five sachets each of coffee and cereal drink, and assorted canned goods enough to feed a family of five or six for two days.