QUEZON CITY -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has partnered with various government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders to strengthen its disaster response operations in areas affected by Typhoon Odette.
Through the collaborative efforts of the DSWD, LGUs, NGOs, and other agencies, more than P90.1 million worth of humanitarian assistance was provided to the affected population in Regions MIMAROPA, VI, VII, VIII, X, XI, XII, and Caraga, as of December 24.
Composed of food and non-food items, the assistance from the DSWD serves as augmentation to the resources of affected LGUs in support of their relief operations to the communities hardest hit by the typhoon.
On December 22, DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista visited the Siargao Island. The Secretary provided guidance to the DSWD Field Office Caraga personnel assigned at the Provincial Emergency Operation Center in Siargao, Surigao del Norte, in ensuring the continuous and expeditious provision of assistance to affected families and individuals in the municipalities around the island.
Meanwhile, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has extended non-food disaster relief items to the victims of Typhoon Odette. The donations from JICA, which include 100 camping tents, 527 sleeping pads, 450 rolls of plastic sheets, 30 sets of generator with cord reel, 60 conversion/adaptor plugs, and 500 portable jerry cans/water containers, will be distributed in Bohol and Cebu.
The Department is also working with the World Food Program (WFP) in transporting the Department’s resources. Through the 10-wheeler trucks of WFP, around 32,000 food packs were transferred from the DSWD warehouse going to ports, as of December 22. These FFPs were distributed in Bacolod, Surigao City, Cebu City and Kabankalan City.
Likewise, the Department is in constant coordination with LGUs and other partner-agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, and Philippine Navy for prompt delivery of relief items to disaster areas.
Bayanihan among DSWD Field Offices
In support of the ongoing disaster operations, other DSWD Field Offices have augmented food and non-food item supplies to the affected regions.
Initially, FO V has allocated 11,000 FFPs for Eastern Visayas, 1,000 of which were already delivered to FO VIII, while the remaining 10,000 food packs are still in transit.
On the other hand, the FO IX delivered some 7,000 FFPs and other non-food items such as 135 blankets, 2,431 bath towels, 309 bed sheets and 2,325 mosquito nets to Caraga Region on December 19. Likewise, FO XI sent some 8,000 food packs, 3,000 family kits, 2,500 sleeping kits, 1,500 hygiene kits, and 2,000 malongs to the Region on December 20. Field Office Caraga also received an additional 1,500 sets of hygiene kits, 1,185 boxes of sleeping kits, and 70 boxes of bottled water from the Field Office XI on December 22.
Moreover, FO CALABARZON is providing 1,500 family tents to the affected regions. To expeditiously mobilize the resources, the Field Office Emergency Operations Center has coordinated with the Police Regional Office IV-4, Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Red Cross to assist in loading the Family Tents to the vehicles provided by the National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau.
Lastly, members of the Regional and Provincial Quick Response Teams were also advised to be on standby alert status for possible deployment in Odette affected areas. (DSWD)
