Gearing for the possible onslaught of Typhoon Uwan, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has positioned over 1.9 million family food packs (FFPs) throughout the country to guarantee quick and efficient support delivery to affected local government units (LGUs).

During a news forum on Saturday, Nov. 8, DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) assured that the department is ready for Typhoon Uwan, citing full coordination from national disaster response units to regional Field Offices (FOs).

“Of the 1.9 million food packs, more than 300,000 FFPs are stored in Region 3 (Central Luzon), including 40,000 in Aurora Province; while Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) has more than 148,000 food packs,” the agency said in a statement.

“Region 1 (Ilocos Region) has close to 100,000 food packs while the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has a stockpile of around 68,000 FFPs.”

Dumlao said the entire DSWD is fully prepared for the typhoon, noting that relief goods have already been prepositioned on the ground.

“It's just a matter of accessing this or dispatching it to the local government units na magre-request po ng augmentation support from the DSWD,” she said.

According to Dumlao, the DSWD’s Buong Bansa Handa (BBH) program employs two synchronized supply chains designed to speed up the transport of relief goods, which have been prepositioned up to the municipal level to strengthen local preparedness.

Also, the agency said it has deployed its mobile command center to prepare for possible power and communication outages caused by the recent and approaching typhoons.

“The mobile command center has an IT equipment, a generator, and Starlink connectivity to ensure continuous coordination and real-time information flow that will guide disaster response operations,” DSWD stated.

While preparing for Typhoon Uwan, the DSWD spokesperson said the agency has also strengthened its disaster relief and recovery operations in areas affected by Typhoon “Tino.” 

So far, around 350,000 family food packs have been distributed to the impacted communities, with regional Field Offices conducting round-the-clock operations, the agency added.

The DSWD said it is ready to implement the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program in coordination with the concerned LGUs for validated lists of disaster-affected families. 

As such, the agency said it has deployed its mobile kitchen to provide hot meals to families and individuals affected by severe weather conditions, particularly in areas heavily impacted by flooding and strong winds.

“Aside from food and non-food items, the DSWD has also distributed more than 400 portable water filtration kits to areas affected by Typhoon Tino, particularly in Cebu, to ensure the supply of clean and safe drinking water,” it added.

Per the DSWD, a P625-million 10th Quick Response Fund (QRF) replenishment request has been submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to maintain the agency’s relief and recovery operations.

“This fund will cover ongoing response efforts for Typhoon Tino-affected areas and preparedness measures for Super Typhoon Uwan.”