THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday assured the public that it remains on heightened disaster response readiness as continuous rains from Tropical Cyclones (TCs) Maymay and Luis, along with the southwest monsoon or habagat, continue to threaten affected communities, ensuring the sustained delivery of relief assistance and social protection services to families in need.
As of Monday, August 17, the DSWD reported that more than 4.3 million family food packs (FFPs) are prepositioned nationwide, while P1.36 billion worth of food and non-food items (FNFIs) remains available at the agency’s disaster resource centers and Field Office warehouses for immediate deployment.
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the agency’s Field Offices are continuously monitoring affected areas and coordinating with local government units (LGUs) and partner agencies to ensure that assistance reaches communities that may need additional support.
‘We continue to coordinate with our local government units [LGUs] and other partner agencies to ensure that not only relief assistance, but also the necessary social protection interventions, are delivered to our fellow Filipinos affected by Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay,’ Dumlao said.
The DSWD’s continuing response comes as thousands of families remain displaced due to the impact of TCs Maymay and Luis. Based on the latest Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Communication (DROMIC) report, 6,949 families or 24,181 individuals are still staying in evacuation centers.
To date, the agency has provided more than P690.911 million worth of assistance, including 1,015,417 family food packs, 12,710 non-food items, 16,971 ready-to-eat food boxes, and other food assistance to affected families.
The DSWD Field Offices have also extended P2.253 million worth of financial assistance to individuals and families affected by the disasters.
Beyond relief distribution, the agency continues to provide social protection interventions to address the emotional and psychosocial needs of disaster-affected communities.
Field offices in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Region 4-A (Calabarzon) have provided services through Child-Friendly Spaces, Women-Friendly Spaces, and Psychological First Aid sessions. These interventions served 739 individuals through Child-Friendly Spaces, 31 through Women-Friendly Spaces, and 210 individuals through Psychological First Aid.
Dumlao emphasized that disaster response goes beyond the distribution of relief goods, particularly for children, women, and other vulnerable groups who may experience stress and trauma during emergencies.
The agency has also deployed three mobile kitchens that have provided meals to 1,629 individuals in affected communities.
Meanwhile, DSWD Field Offices continue to conduct relief operations in various areas. Additional family food packs were distributed in Pangasinan by Field Office 1, while Field Office 2 provided additional food and non-food items to affected families in Claveria, Cagayan.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), additional family food packs were released to affected residents in several cities, including Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pateros, Taguig, and Quezon City.
The DSWD said it will continue monitoring weather conditions and coordinating with concerned agencies to ensure that emergency assistance and protection services are immediately provided to communities affected by continuous rains.
As weather systems continue to bring rainfall in several areas, the agency urged communities to remain alert and coordinate with local authorities for updates and emergency assistance when needed.