QUEZON CITY -- Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Officer-in-Charge Eduardo M. Punay, accompanied by Assistant Secretary for Visayas Affairs Ma. Evelyn Macapobre, arrived in Eastern Samar to oversee the provision of assistance to families affected by the inclement weather and floods brought by the shear line.
OIC Punay, together with staff of DSWD Field Office (FO) VIII, paid a courtesy visit to Llorente, Eastern Samar Mayor Daniel Boco to discuss the status of their disaster response operations since the municipality is one of the areas greatly affected by flooding.
The OIC also supervised the distribution of financial assistance, under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, and family food packs (FFPs) to about 1,030 family beneficiaries in the municipality.
Meanwhile, the DSWD continues its provision of augmentation assistance to local government units (LGUs) in Bicol Region, Visayas, and Mindanao to ensure that displaced families will have enough relief aid.
On December 28, DSWD Assistant Secretary Elaine Fallarcuna, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, and Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB) OIC Michael Cristopher Mathay, joined by the Office of Civil Defense Region X, held an inspection and coordination meeting with Gingoog City Mayor Erick Cañosa for the distribution of financial assistance and relief items to over 1,000 families in Gingoog City.
Today, December 29, Assistant Secretary Fallarcuna and Assistant Secretary Dumlao, together with the Regional Office of the Civil Defense Assistant Regional Director Gilbert Conde, in coordination with the Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental through Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Lorelei Yee, also inspected the situations in the local government units (LGUs) of Clarin, Tuledo, and Jimenez in Misamis Occidental.
The DSWD FO X also delivered 3,000 family food packs (FFPs) to the Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental for distribution to the affected families and individuals. Quick Response Teams (QRTs) of DSWD FO X are also assisting concerned LGUs in the validation and assessment of their affected constituents.
The DSWD FO Caraga, on the other hand, also facilitated the delivery of 1,786 FFPs and 2,999 FFPs to the LGUs of Gigaquit and Bacuag in Surigao del Norte, respectively.
As of December 28 6PM, the Department has already augmented food and non-food items worth more than P16 million to local government units (LGUs) in Regions V, VI, VIII, IX, X, XI, and Caraga
Based on the latest data, a total of 22,292 displaced families or 91,874 persons are currently staying in 328 evacuation centers in Regions V, IX, X, XI, and Caraga, while 19,449 families or 86,690 individuals are temporarily staying with their relatives or friends.
The Department assured the public that it will continue to provide the necessary assistance to disaster-hit families even in the coming 2023 New Year celebration. (DSWD)
