DSWD assesses impact of cash aid on quake-hit Sarangani province
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has deployed a disaster team to Glan, Sarangani to assess the impact of emergency cash transfer (ECT) on residents affected by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the province in November 2023.
The DSWD disaster team conducted on Jan. 30 a series of house-to-house visits and “kumustahan” to the quake-hit victims to assess their current condition after receiving aid from the agency.
The ECT is an adaptive strategy for bridging the gap between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support by providing outright cash aid to disaster-affected families.
DSWD Assistant Bureau Director Rey Martija of the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB) of the Central Office oversaw the ECT impact assessment in collaboration with DSWD-Field Office 12 personnel.
“The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, as beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the DSWD,” Martija said.
He said at least 300 beneficiaries whose homes had been damaged were interviewed during the activity.
“The cash transfers were used by the beneficiaries to rebuild their damaged houses and to purchase essential needs, including medicines, school supplies, and groceries,” he pointed out.
Martija added that some of the beneficiaries used the cash assistance to start their own small businesses.
Families with totally damaged houses were given P27,180 each, while those with partially damaged houses received P13,590.
As of Jan. 31, the DSWD Field Office-12 had served 5,211 families and disbursed about P76.80 million.
The regional ECT payout began on Jan. 18.