With the resumption of sea travel, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has intensified its relief efforts for communities hit by Typhoon Pepito, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.
DSWD spokesperson and Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Assistant Secretary Irene Dumalo said on Tuesday, Nov. 19, that the efforts particularly aim to facilitate faster aid delivery to the island province of Catanduanes, one of the hardest-hit areas by the typhoon.
She said the DSWD-Field Office 5 in Bicol Region reported that Catanduanes is now reachable by water vessels, allowing for the delivery of 5,100 family food packs to the province.
In addition to food packs, the DSWD also deployed its Mobile Command Center (MCC) aboard the same water vessels.
“Apart from deploying the MCC to enhance our disaster coordination efforts, we are also looking into using it to assist residents who have lost electricity, similar to how it served our communities during previous storms,” Dumlao said.
She added that the resumption of sea travel would significantly improve access to Catanduanes, enabling faster and more efficient aid delivery.
The effort, she said, is part of a larger relief operation, which includes the distribution of 45,000 family food packs to the province.
In addition to Catanduanes, DSWD is addressing relief requests from other affected areas. Dumalo reported that the provincial government of La Union has already collected 700 family food packs from the DSWD Field Office 1 warehouse in San Fernando, La Union.
“We’ve also been proactive in releasing family food packs to Aurora province, where Typhoon Pepito made landfall,” she added.
In Dingalan, Aurora, the DSWD has distributed 2,300 family food packs to families and individuals displaced by the storm.