The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured that the national government has ample stocks of foods packs readied for distribution for those affected by Typhoon Kristine.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian (center) speaks to the media during a Palace briefing on the government response to Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. Joining him are Office of Civil Defense Director Edgar Posadas (left) and Philippine Ports Authority Assistant General Manager Mark Jon Palomar (right). (Photo from DSWD via Facebook)
In a Palace press briefing on Thursday, Oct. 24, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said that the government has prepositioned a total of 1.98 million family foods packs in its national stockpile.
This is in line with the directive of President Marcos for the government to always be prepared to respond to disasters.
“So, we came up with the program called ‘Buong Bansa Handa’ if you can recall wherein we prepositioned goods all-year round,” the official shared.
“Hindi na tayo nag-aantay… ang paradigm natin o ang mindset natin, hindi na tayo nag-aantay ng sakuna pa na dumating kung hindi nakakalat na sa mga regional/provincial warehouse ang municipal warehouses natin ang ating mga family food packs at iba pang mga gagamitin during relief operations (We don’t wait anymore… our paradigm or mindset is we will not wait for disaster to happen since our family food packs and other relief operations are already distributed to regional/provincial warehouse and municipal warehouse),” he explained.
In Bicol region, which suffers the most from the rainfall brought by Typhoon Kristine, around 150,000 to 170,000 family foods packs were already “on the ground” even before the typhoon arrived.
While there are some 121,000 remaining family food packs in the Region V warehouse, Gatchalian said that some 100,000 food packs are already on their way to Bicol to ensure there are enough relief goods for the affected families.
He also assured the local government executives in Bicol that although they are the “first line of defense,” the national government is ready to augment their supply.
“Kasi alam naman natin na hindi lahat ng sakuna ay napi-predict katulad ng bagyo – may earthquakes, may volcano… anything can happen. Kaya nga ang mindset natin: buong bansa handa, lagi tayong handa, nandoon na ang mga goods natin (Because we know that not all disasters can be predicted like earthquakes, there’s the volcano… anything can happen. That’s why our mindset: the whole country is ready, we are always ready, our goods are there),” he stressed.
The DSWD chief explained, however, that the local government units are the ones responsible for the distribution of food packs and that the national government will “augment” and “support” the LGUs if needed.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian shared that there are plans to build a national resource center in the CARAGA region as there are already two centers in Pasay for Luzon and Cebu for Visayas and Mindanao.
“That will serve the Mindanao and the eastern seaboard ng Visayas and Mindanao, which is very prone to typhoon. Plans are also underway to look into expanding more of our packing centers to the eastern seaboard, halimbawa sa (for example in) Bicol region, Quezon and all the way to Region II,” he said.
This is part of the government’s platforms of anticipatory action, which the official stressed meant that the government will not be waiting to see what will happen after the disasters, especially as there’s a “brewing low pressure area” in Mindanao.
“So, we wanna make sure na bukod sa mga regional, provincial, municipal warehouses natin, iyong repacking center natin, nakakalat rin dapat sa buong bansa (aside from the regional provincial, municipal warehouse, our repacking center, it should also be distributed in the whole country). So, that is something that we are working on right now,” the DSWD chief added.
The DSWD, Gatchalian furthered, is also responsible for “early recovery” or the provision of financial assistance to those whose homes and livelihoods were damaged by the typhoon.
“But right now, our mindset is still in the rescue and the relief operations, pero nasa menu namin iyang (but part of our menu is the) financial assistance for early recovery,” he added.