LEGAZPI CITY – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Thursday assured the provincial government of Albay of sustained assistance for local government units (LGUs) and families affected by the continuing unrest of Mayon Volcano.

Gatchalian visited the province and met local chief executives of affected cities and towns to assess preemptive evacuation efforts and identify immediate needs, following the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure a prompt, coordinated, and efficient disaster response.

As of latest data, 963 families or 3,516 individuals are staying in 13 evacuation centers, while 12 families or 39 individuals are temporarily sheltered with relatives or friends.

The DSWD chief said the agency is prepared to provide long-term support if the situation worsens, including the continuous distribution of family food packs (FFPs), non-food items, emergency cash transfers (ECT), and cash-for-work (CFW) programs, particularly for affected farmers.

“Our cash-for-work is not short term. I remember it can go from as minimum of one day to as much as 180 days, I believe if I’m not mistaken, half a year,” Gatchalian said.

Stockpiling operations are already in place, with about 155,000 FFPs currently in regional warehouses and an additional 100,000 expected to arrive within days.

One of the evacuees, 59-year-old Shirley Bo, from Barangay Calbayog, Malilipot, Albay, said she was grateful to the government for the assistance she and her family received.

She said the assistance is a big help as they cannot go back to their house, which is inside the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone.

Gov. Noel Rosal welcomed the DSWD’s support and thanked the national government for extending livelihood opportunities to displaced residents through the cash-for-work program. (PNA)