The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has come to the aid of residents badly affected by the onslaught of Tropical Storm “Agaton”, providing food packs and other non-food items.
DSWD Spokesperson Irene B. Dumlao said they have already activated their quick response teams in the affected regions to provide much-needed help to devastated residents.
“Nagsimula na rin ang DSWD na magbigay ng karagdagan food and non-food items sa mga naapektuhang lokal na pamahalaan (The DSWD has started the distribution of food and non-food items to local governments for their residents),” she said during a “Laging Handa” briefing, Tuesday, April 12.
“Sa katunayan nga po, ang ating ahensya ay nakapagpadala na ng mahigit 4.2 million na halaga ng augmentation support sa Davao del Norte (Actually, our agency has sent over P4.2 million worth of augmentation support to Davao del Norte),” she added.
Dumlao said they also sent food packs to Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
“Gayundin, tayo ay magpapahatid o ‘yung ating field office ay magpapahatid din ng mga family food packs na nagkakahalaga nang mahigit 500,000 sa bayan naman ng Baybay (Also, we will send or our field office will send family food packs worth over P500,000 to the towns of Baybay,” she continued.
The DSWD spokesperson said their field office in Region 8 has already prepositioned 4,000 family food packs for areas such as Allen, Northern Samar.
Meanwhile, she said that 500 food packs were prepositioned in Catbalogan, Samar, and Borongan, Eastern Samar.
“Mayroon din tayo sa Naval, Biliran at gayundin ang ating Regional Resource Operations Center sa Palo, Leyte ay mayroon din namang mahigit 17,000 family food packs na naka-preposition (We also prepositioned food packs in Naval, Biliran as well as our Regional Resource Operations Center in Palo, Leyte we have prepositioned about 17,000 family food packs).”
Aside from such, Dumlao said DSWD’s Visayas Disaster Response Center will send additional 20,000 family food packs, based on the request of the field office.
Based on DSWD’s monitoring, more than 55,000 families or 218,000 individuals have been affected by “Agaton” in 184 barangays in the Regions 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and Caraga as of 6 p.m., April 11.