The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed about P132 million worth of humanitarian assistance to families affected by the continued unrest of Kanlaon Volcano, an agency official said on Thursday, April 10.

DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the assistance includes family food packs, non-food items, and financial aid.

The aid distributed since the Dec. 9, 2024 eruption includes 107,825 family food packs and 24,990 non-food items provided to local government units. Kanlaon Volcano had another explosive eruption on April 8.

In addition, about P28 million has been distributed through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.

Dumlao also noted that 3,502 other food items, such as potable water and hot meals, have been served to evacuees through community kitchens.

“We have community kitchens in the affected areas, particularly in evacuation centers, so we’ve been able to serve different kinds of meals to evacuees,” she said.

According to the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center as of April 10, a total of 12,761 families or 48,850 individuals across Negros Island have been affected by the volcanic activity.

Of those, 2,606 families, or 8,313 individuals are currently staying in 22 evacuation centers, while 3,702 families or 11,892 persons are temporarily staying with relatives or friends.

Dumlao assured the public that the agency has sufficient supplies and funding to support those displaced.

“Our national stockpile contains about 2.7 million items, and we continue to produce more,” she said.

The DSWD also has P93 million in standby funds, along with non-food items, such as hygiene kits, family kits, kitchen kits, and modular tents, ready for distribution.