CEBU CITY, Cebu, Dec. 27 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development Central Visayas (DSWD-7) has released 58,488 family food packs (FFP) to 31 out of 72 requesting local government units (LGUs) in Region 7 as of Dec. 26.

Daisy Lor, Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Section Head of DSWD-7, said the total cost of assistance has now reached P30,344,920 in the region.

Lor said some of the food packs shipped to areas in Bohol came from the DSWD Central Office/National Resource Operations Center (NROC) and the Visayas Disaster Response Center (VDRC).

A total of 21,700 FFPs for the 12 LGUs in Bohol are still in transit as of Dec. 27, she added.

Lor also said of the 31 LGUs that requested for FFPs, 15 are from Bohol which include: Balilihan, Batuan, Bien Unido, Buenavista, Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo), Candijay, Calape, Getafe, Inabanga, Loboc, Maribojoc, Panglao, Talibon, Trinidad, and Ubay.

In Cebu, there are eight LGUs which are Argao, Barili, Boljoon, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, San Fernando, Sibonga, and Ronda.

There are also eight LGUs in Negros Oriental that requested for food packs and these are Ayungon, Bais City, Bindoy, Canlaon City, Jimalalud, La Libertad, Manjuyod, and Tayasan.

"Atong i-ensure na every time naa sila'y (warehouses) ma-pack, ato gyud ni siyang i-release within the day per request nila (We ensure that every time they have warehouses where they can pack, we release the food packs within the day per their request)," Lor said. 

She added that DSWD's standby funds amount to P8,473,695 which they will immediately disseminate along with the food packs, other food items, and non-food relief items.

Also, on Dec. 25, DSWD-7 received donations from the Government of Taiwan through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines.

The first batch of donations contained 350 boxes of water, 206 boxes of instant noodles, 18 boxes of canned tuna, and 100 boxes of cookies.

The following day where a ceremonial turnover was also held at the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Airbase in Lapu-Lapu City, the office received 46 boxes of tents, 17 boxes of water filter, 835 boxes of food rations, and 125 boxes of cookies.

Representatives from TECO, Office of the Civil Defense, and Philippine Air Force attended the ceremony.

The donations will be distributed to typhoon-affected towns and cities in Bohol, Cebu, and Negros Oriental. (IDC/PIA7 with reports from DSWD7)