The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is ramping up relief operations to aid families affected by Super Typhoon Uwan.
As of now, the Department has delivered over P6.4 million in humanitarian assistance, including family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items (NFIs).
‘Even before Typhoon Uwan made landfall, we had nearly 2 million family food packs prepositioned across the country. As distributions continue, we are ensuring that communities receive assistance promptly,’ DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.
To meet the urgent needs of affected areas, the department has doubled its repacking operations, raising daily production from 18,000 to 25,000 family food packs. ‘This ensures that local government units [LGUs] have sufficient supplies to respond to their constituents’ needs,’ Gatchalian added.
The department’s relief response is nationwide and coordinated, with no single area prioritized over another. ‘Every affected community is a priority. Our teams are deployed wherever they are needed to reach the most vulnerable families,’ he said.
Gatchalian explained that response operations for recent weather disturbances and disasters were distributed across multiple regions rather than staying focused on a single location.
‘Many people think that our equipment is all in Metro Manila. That’s not the case. Just like our family food packs, they are already prepositioned in our regional hubs,’ Gatchalian pointed out.
The DSWD chief mentioned that several specialized vehicles and equipment have already been deployed to support the ongoing relief operations for Super Typhoon Uwan. These include a mobile command center, a mobile kitchen, water trucks, and water treatment units.
During the recent back-to-back relief operations for calamities, Gatchalian thanked all DSWD personnel for their dedication to serving disaster-stricken families.
‘I am grateful to all DSWD personnel, social workers, and community development workers because even with back-to-back typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic activity, they never stop. They are the ones who truly power the Department, and I am very thankful to the 40,000-strong DSWD workforce who stand with us during these challenging times,’ Gatchalian said.