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Gatchalian to DSWD, DepEd: ensure safety, welfare of children affected by Bulusan eruption
Gatchalian to DSWD, DepEd: ensure safety, welfare of children affected by Bulusan eruption
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has called on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure the safety and welfare of children affected by the recent eruption of Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon.
Gatchalian said the two agencies, as well as the Department of Health (DOH), said it should ensure there is adequate provision of basic necessities and services such as food, water, medicines, sanitary and hygiene kits.
It is also important, he said, to provide psychosocial intervention for the affected children.
"Ang mga bata ang pinaka apektado tuwing nakakaranas tayo ng mga kalamidad at mga sakuna (Children are the most affected whenever we experience calamities and other natural disasters),” Gatchalian pointed out.
Thus, he said, the government should prioritize their needs and ensure their safety.
More than 200 individuals fled following Sunday’s eruption, the majority of which were children under the age of 18.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also reported that classes in three schools in the town of Juban were suspended: these are Puting Sapa Elementary School, Sangkayon Elementary School, and Añog Elementary School.
The DepEd in Sorsogon earlier advised school officials to prepare classrooms in Casiguran, Irosin, and Juban as possible evacuation centers.
However, Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture reiterated that this recent eruption presses the need for at least one evacuation center in every city and municipality to avoid the use of schools as evacuation sites.
Gatchalian had filed Senate Bill No. 747, which seeks the establishment of structurally sound evacuation centers in every city and municipality.
"Patuloy nating isusulong ang pagkakaroon ng matatag na evacuation center sa bawat lungsod at munisipalidad sa bansa. Hindi na natin maaaring ipagpaliban ito lalo na't madalas nararanasan ng ating bansa ang mga sakuna at kalamidad (We will continue to pursue the enactment of a law that would establish permanent evacuation center in every city and municipality in the country. We cannot further delay such initiative especially since we now experience more calamities and natural disasters more frequently),” Gatchalian said.