Over P336 million in disaster aid distributed in WV in 2023
ILOILO City – In 2023, the Department of Social Welfare and Development ( DSWD) distributed P336,894,403.36 in aid to families affected by disasters and incidents in
Western Visayas.
This assistance comprised P128,895,786.86 for food,
P12,454,836.50 for non-food items, and P195,543,780 in financial support.
Claud Jan S. Marquez, head of DSWD Region 6’s Disaster Response Information Management Section (DRIMS), reported a total of 322 disasters and incidents in the region for the year, with fires leading at 239 incidents.
Other events included armed conflicts, floods, low pressure areas, thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, and more.
Marquez observed an increase in disasters during April and May, attributed to the summer season’s elevated fire incidents, and in August due to monsoon rains.
The region recorded 38, 42, and 37 incidents in April, May, and August of 2023, respectively.
The aid distributed by DSWD- 6 was detailed by province and highly urbanized cities, with significant allocations to Antique ( P172,422,111), Negros Occidental (P102,720,383.47), Capiz ( P22,291,224), Iloilo ( P12,578,229.99), Aklan ( P9,925,888.62), Iloilo City ( P10,982,350.64), and Bacolod City (P5,267,145.80).
In 2023, 336,485 families were affected by these disasters, leading to 80,299 displaced families and 5,041 damaged houses.
For this year from January to March, DSWD-6 has already recorded 174 disasters and incidents, with fires again being the most frequent at 162 occurrences.
A total of P17,775,465 in assistance has been provided, with detailed allocations to Iloilo ( P2,342,961), Aklan ( P573,263.18), Iloilo City ( P3,588,878.43), Negros Occidental (P2,766,666.58), Capiz (P7,103,684), Bacolod City (P868,055.20), Antique (P506,810.50), and Guimaras (P25,146).
The DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Division( DR MD) is responsible for leading the planning, coordination, and monitoring of all disaster response efforts, providing support to LGUs in relief, rehabilitation, and recovery services in accordance with the National Risk Reduction and Management Act 2020./