QUEZON CITY -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues its relief operations following the series of weather disturbances being experienced in much of the Philippines.

As of January 5, the DSWD, through its Field Offices (FOs), has provided assistance amounting to more than Php40 million to the affected localities since the onset of the Shear Line on December 26, 2022. The Department, likewise, recorded a total of 161,145 affected families or 645,097 individuals in 1,044 barangays in Regions  V, VI, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, Caraga, and BARMM.

In addition, more than Php2 million worth of humanitarian aid was provided by the DSWD to the residents affected by the heavy rains brought about by a Low Pressure Area in Visayas and Mindanao. To date, some 22,851 families or 95,996 individuals from 147 barangays in Regions MIMAROPA, V, VIII, X, XI, and Caraga have been hit by the weather disturbance. 

Meanwhile, the reported flooding incidents in MIMAROPA Region were addressed by the Department. Through its Field Office MIMAROPA, more than Php2.8 million worth of assistance was provided as an augmentation of the DSWD to the local government units in Oriental Mindoro and Palawan. The Field Office recorded a total of 6,907 families or 32,525 individuals have been affected by the incident. 

Moreover, Field Office II reported that it already provided relief assistance to some 1,285 families or 4,544 individuals who have been affected by the heavy rainfall due to the Northeast Monsoon in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela.

DSWD Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Eduardo M. Punay commended the prompt disaster response of the different DSWD Field Offices during a meeting with the Regional Directors yesterday, January 5.

OIC Punay expressed his gratitude to all DSWD employees for dedicating their time and effort to respond to the needs of the affected population in times of disaster. He emphasized that such service helps the Department to fulfill its mandate. 

“We are one of the top three best-performing agencies precisely because of the disaster response we are doing,” OIC Punay said. 

Furthermore, the Regional Directors committed to extend augmentation support to other Field Offices that are hard-hit by these weather disturbances to ensure the continuity of the provision of assistance.

The DSWD vowed to strengthen and improve its disaster response operations to assist every Filipino in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (DSWD)