DSWD extends over Php47-M assistance to Ruby’s affected families

DSWD to deliver via C-130 some 10,000 food packs from the Cebu International Convention Center to Borongan, Eastern Samar, to augment the ‘Ruby’ resources of the LGUs for residents (Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines’ Facebook page)

MANILA — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Monday that more than Php47.24 million worth of relief assistance were so far provided to the families/persons affected by typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), particularly in the Visayas and Bicol.

In its twitter account, the DSWD said that it had extended a total assistance of Php44,666,184.40 as an augmentation to the affected local government units (LGUs) in Regions 5, 6, 7 and 8, which provided Php2,578,434.3 assistance to their constituents.

The DSWD said 210,783 families comprising of 956,470 persons had so far evacuated and were served in the evacuation centers since ‘Ruby’ started moving towards some regions in the country.

Of this number, about 204,094 families or 922,465 persons were currently staying in 2,953 evacuation centers.

Others were staying in other safe places like houses of their relatives as they sought pre-emptive evacuation for their safety.

DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman, who is personally leading the provision of aid to the affected families in the Visayas, instructed the department’s Field Office Directors in Regions 9, 10, 11, and CARAGA to send a total of 15,000 family food packs each to areas in Eastern Visayas as an augmentation to the LGUs assisting the affected families.

DSWD Field Office 11 already sent 15,000 food packs to Eastern Visayas.

Provinces in Regions 4B like Mindoro and Marinduque are currently feeling the effect of the typhoon while it is moving towards Batangas where it is expected to make a landfall between 6 to 8 p.m.

Pre-emptive evacuation were already implemented in low-lying areas or flood-prone areas in Metro Manila and MIMAROPA.