The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is already preparing for the possibility of La Niña occurring this year by ensuring that its disaster preparedness and response strategies are ready to minimize any potential impacts, an agency official said on Thursday, May 2.

During a media forum, DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said the agency initiated the “Buong Bansa Handa Project” as a preemptive measure against the potential La Niña.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) predicted that a La Niña may develop during the June-July-August season, with potential for above-normal rainfall later this year.

Dumlao explained that the Buong Bansa Handa project will establish two parallel supply chain mechanisms for disaster preparedness and response, increasing the department's capacity to meet the needs of families in disaster-stricken areas.

The first mechanism consists of a national and local government-driven supply chain that will enhance the production capacities and processes of the DSWD's National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City, the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Cebu, and warehouse and storage facilities throughout the 16 DSWD field offices.

In the second mechanism, the DSWD will forge partnerships with established large and small grocery stores, supermarkets, manufacturers, and distributors to leverage their technical expertise and resources to build a private sector-driven supply chain.

Relief supplies

Dumlao said DSWD is also monitoring relief supplies to ensure enough family food packs and non-food items in the warehouses.

“We have an inventory, of course, of all our warehouses—our last-mile facilities, our spokes, so we can ensure that all those facilities have sufficient family food packs and non-food items. Likewise, in our hubs, we are monitoring the procurement to ensure the availability of supplies so as not to hamper the production of our family food packs and non-food items,” she explained.

As of April 29, 387,124 food packs have been prepositioned in the 10 DSWD hubs, while 602,113 boxes of food packs were sent to the 66 spokes and 545,526 food packs in the 849 last-mile facilities across the country.

“In our last-mile facilities, we monitor the delivery, as well as the withdrawal of our family food packs and non-food items, so that we don't run out, and of course, when the rainy season comes, our supplies are sufficient and ready to be sent to affected local government units (LGUs),” Dumlao said.

Evacuation centers

Dumlao pointed out that DSWD is also monitoring the evacuation centers to ensure that evacuees will receive the necessary interventions.

“We inspected the evacuation centers to ensure that they are safe for our affected fellow citizens and to coordinate with LGUs and, of course, with the Department of Education. One of the concerns of the DSWD is also to ensure that women and children affected by various disasters are safe,” she said.

Based on DSWD data, there are currently 18,069 evacuation centers throughout the country that can provide temporary shelter to internally displaced people.