Aid sent to flood, quake victims

DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) spokesman Romel Lopez said on Monday that the department has already finished its disaster response activities, giving more than P870 million worth of humanitarian aid to families hit by earthquakes in Mindanao and weather disturbances in the Visayas.

“The DSWD, through its Field Offices in Eastern Visayas (Region 8), Soccsksargen (Region 12), and Caraga region, has provided family food packs (FFP) worth over P284 million and nonfood items amounting to over P6 million,” Lopez said.

Lopez added that the Visayas and Mindanao field offices also provided financial assistance of P578 million under the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) programs for about 150,356 disaster-affected households.

The ECT is a flexible method for bridging the gap between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support by providing quick cash assistance to disaster-affected families in disaster areas.

The AICS acts as a social safety net or a stop-gap mechanism to assist people and families in recovering from unforeseen circumstances such as illness or loss of a family member, natural and man-made disasters, and other emergency situations.

Lopez also said that the DSWD’s response activities in the disaster-hit areas of Visayas and Mindanao began in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In Northern Samar, the DSWD distributed about P540 million in humanitarian assistance to people afflicted by the shear line and low pressure area that hit the Visayas region in November 2023. The assistance included 215,829 FFPs, 76 nonfood items, and financial aid totaling more than P394 million for 130,082 households.

The department gave P145 million in assistance to people affected by the magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Sarangani province in November 2023. This included 36,110 FFPs, 3,825 nonfood items, and financial support of P113 million for 13,583 individuals.

In Caraga, households affected by the December 2023 magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Surigao del Sur received P184 million in assistance, which includes 168,772 FFPs, 37 nonfood items, and P70 million in financial support for 6,691 individuals.

“We assure the public that while our field office personnel have already concluded their response efforts in the disaster-struck localities, they will continue to work closely with concerned local government units to ensure the continuous recovery of the affected families,” Lopez said.