DSWD, Butuan City ink agreement for establishment of 1st disaster resource center in Mindanao

To further enhance the country’s emergency response, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the government of Butuan City on March 22 signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the construction of the Mindanao Disaster Resource Center (MDRC).
The signing of agreement, which was led by DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista and Butuan City Mayor Ronnie Vicente Lagnada, highlighted the establishment of a new disaster resource center that can store 100,000 food and non-food items.
The proposed MDRC, which is estimated to cost P800 million, will be strategically located in Butuan City since its major roads are connected to nearby cities, and is also accessible to commercial airport and major seaports.
Bautista believes that the establishment of a new MDRC will enhance the disaster response system of the country, especially since it will cater to Mindanao and nearby provinces in the Visayas.
Once operational, DSWD is hoping that relief augmentation and other disaster operations will become faster and more accessible not just in Caraga but to the nearby regions in Mindanao, as well as Visayas.
The DSWD has already established the Visayas Disaster Resource Center based in Mandaue City and National Resource Operations Center in Metro Manila.
The MOA signing was part of the 71st anniversary celebration of the DSWD Field Office in Caraga.
DSWD Undersecretary Luzviminda Ilagan and DSWD-Caraga Regional Director Ramel Jamen also attended the event.