DSWD inspects emergency aid recipients

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) sent a disaster team to Glan, Sarangani, to assess the impact of emergency cash transfers (ECT) on residents affected by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated the region in November 2023.

The ECT impact assessment was undertaken by DSWD assistant bureau director Rey Martija of the Central Office’s Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB), alongside representatives from the Field Office 12 (Soccsksargen).

The DSWD disaster team made a series of house-to-house visits to quake victims to check their current situation after receiving assistance from the agency.

“The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, as beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the DSWD,” Martija said on Thursday.

Martija reported that around 300 individuals whose homes had been damaged were interviewed by the team.

“The cash transfers were used by the beneficiaries to rebuild their damaged houses and to purchase essential needs, including medicines, school supplies, and groceries,” Martija said.

Martija also mentioned that some of the beneficiaries used the financial assistance to start their own small businesses.

Families with totally damaged houses received P27,180, while those with partially damaged houses received P13,590 each.

As of January 31, the DSWD Field Office 12 has helped 5,211 households and disbursed more than P76.80 million in aid.

The ECT is a flexible method for bridging the gap between urgent disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support by providing outright cash assistance to households in disaster-prone locations.