The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its field office in Caraga, has continued its disaster relief operations on Feb. 22 by distributing distilled bottled water and family food packs (FFPs) to families affected by Tropical Storm Basyang.
With the help of uniformed personnel and other volunteers from local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs), the DSWD successfully delivered 1,710 pieces of bottled distilled water totaling 17,100 liters, along with 838 FFPs to typhoon-affected families in Barangay Pakwan in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur.
In a news release Monday, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) highlighted the importance of reaching even the most isolated and far-flung communities, ensuring that every individual is receiving assistance from the national government.
“Mahalaga po na lahat ng mga naapektuhan ng nagdaang bagyo ay mabigyang tulong ng DSWD, gaano man kalayo o ka-isolated ang lugar (It is important to provide assistance to all families affected by the recent storm, no matter how far or isolated they are),” the DSWD spokesperson said.
“This is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, which Secretary Rex Gatchalian always reiterates, that the national government should reach out not just to the most vulnerable or most affected, but more importantly to those living in the most isolated areas of our country,” she added.
As an isolated area, Barangay Pakwan remains one of the few communities still experiencing the effects of Basyang, which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as a tropical depression last Feb. 3.
Aside from the bottled water, the DSWD has continuously distributed food packs throughout the region since Basyang’s onslaught, with a total of PHP103.95 million worth of assistance already provided by the DSWD.
As of Feb. 21, the DSWD Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication (DROMIC) report showed that a total of 168,567 families or 549,463 individuals were affected by Basyang, with Surigao del Sur being the most impacted province in the region.
Dumlao assured that the DSWD is always prepared to respond to any disaster, ensuring that food packs and other forms of aid are always on standby in the event of a calamity.
“Makakaasa po kayo na laging handa ang DSWD na magbigay ng anumang klase ng tulong, mula sa family food packs, distilled water, at iba pa sa mga apektado nating mga kababayan. Patuloy po ang pagkilos ng ating mga Field Offices, katuwang ang local government of Surigao del Sur upang masiguro na sapat at tama ang naibibigay nating tulong sa mga apektado ng kalamidad (We assure that the DSWD is always ready to provide any kind of assistance, from family food packs, distilled water, and other relief aid to the affected populace. Our field offices continue to act, in coordination with the Surigao del sur LGU to ensure that assistance given to calamity-affected individuals are proper and enough),” Dumlao said. (PNA)