Super typhoon Egay-affected families to receive P1.1-B worth of financial aid — DSWD
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will begin providing P1.1 billion emergency cash transfer (ECT) assistance to families affected by super typhoon Egay (Doksuri) on Thursday, Oct. 12.
From October to November, 178,396 qualified beneficiaries in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region (Region I), Cagayan Valley (Region II), Central Luzon (Region III), and Mimaropa (Region IV-A) will receive their ECT.
The cash assistance will be distributed directly to the beneficiaries by authorized special disbursing officers of their respective DSWD field offices.
DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications and spokesperson Romel Lopez said the ECT will help reduce the financial and administrative costs of the department in delivering various food and non-food items to the affected areas and population.
“The ECT program minimizes security risks for personnel and logistical demands since it utilizes financial service providers for the conduct of digital payouts,” Lopez said.
“As vice-chair for the National Disaster Response, the DSWD assures the public that it will uphold the integrity of the ECT process to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of services and programs to disaster-stricken families,” he added.
The ECT, under the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program, is an adaptive strategy in bridging the gaps between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support. It is an outright cash aid for disaster-affected families in areas under the state of calamity.
Egay was a super typhoon when it made landfall in Cagayan in July.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, it caused at least P5.5 billion in infrastructure and agricultural damage, primarily in Northern Luzon.