QUEZON CITY -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Sunday that all its Field Offices in Luzon are on alert and ready to provide resource augmentation support to all local government units (LGUs) that will be affected by Super Typhoon Karding.
This, after DSWD Secretary Erwin T. Tulfo met the concerned DSWD Regional Directors in Northern, Central, and Southern Luzon; Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Bicol Region, and National Capital Region this afternoon. During the meeting, the Directors reported to the Secretary their Field Offices’ (FOs) preparedness efforts including their available standby funds and stockpiles of food and non-food items, as well as prepositioned goods in the different LGUs along the path of “Karding.”
DSWD FOs I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, NCR, and CAR assured the Secretary that they are ready and have strategically prepositioned adequate food and non-food items (FNIs) for immediate distribution to the areas that will be affected by the super typhoon. Standby funds are also available in the Central Office (COs) and FOs.
In addition, Regional and Provincial Quick Response Teams (QRT) of the FOs are all ready for possible deployment.
Meanwhile, Secretary Tulfo also instructed all FOs to be on standby and monitor the situation in their respective regions including the stranded individuals in the different ports. The Secretary also ordered the FOs to ensure that family food packs (FFPs), FNIs, and especially drinking waters are sufficient for augmentation to the LGUs.
As of 6 AM today, the DSWD CO, FOs, and National Resource Operations Center (NROC) have stockpiles and standby funds amounting to more than P1.6 billion. Of these figures, a total of P600,441,200.86 standby funds are available at the CO and FOs. The DSWD also has 548,889 FFPs amounting to more than P327 million, other food items amounting to P174 million, and FNIs amounting to P502 million.
Secretary Tulfo is calling on the public to remain vigilant and to follow the orders of their local officials to ensure their safety, especially those residing in the path of Super Typhoon Karding. (DSWD)
