Mayon-affected families in Bicol continue to receive relief aid from DSWD
Families in Bicol region who have been affected by the ongoing unrest of Mayon Volcano continue to receive relief aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez, in a statement issued on Saturday, Aug. 26, said a total of 33,000 family food packs (FFPs) has been distributed by its field office to the different Local Government Units (LGUs) in the region.
Lopez, who is also DSWD spokesperson in a concurrent capacity, said the FFPs “will ensure adequate food supply to the affected families” from Aug. 26 to Sept. 9.
The distribution of these FFPs on Aug. 24, conducted by DSWD Field Office (FO)-5 in the Bicol region, is part of the 5th wave of food packs provided to the LGUs.
Each FFP contains six kilograms of rice, canned goods, sachets of coffee, and cereal drinks, which are expected to cover two days' worth of food for a family of five according to DSWD.
“As Mayon Volcano remains at Alert Level 3, the DSWD assures the Bicolanos that we will continue to closely coordinate with the different LGUs so that we can provide needed relief assistance,” Lopez said.
This ongoing distribution of relief aid aligns with the directive of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
In addition, the DSWD FO-5 also facilitated the distribution of 300 metric tons of rice, equivalent to 10,000 sacks of milled rice, which were donated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF-Japan).
DSWD said the donated rice have “already been allocated “ o the respective evacuation centers of the affected LGUs as augmentation to the food supply for the families and communities affected by the continuous volcanic activities.
The Japanese government’s donation, DSWD said, falls under the Tier 3 Program of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).
To date, DSWD said more than P212.3 million worth of relief items, including financial aid through the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) programs have been provided by DSWD FO-5 to the affected families and individuals in the region.