DSWD still has more than P800-M for typhoon victims

FILE: Nakipag-ugnayan si DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista, kasama si DSWD Field Office NCR Regional Director Vicente Gregorio Tomas, sa mga kawani mula sa Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, at Philippine Red Cross, upang makatulong sa lokal na pamahalaan ng Marikina para mailikas sa mas ligtas na lugar ang kanilang mga nasasakupan at mabigyan sila ng karampatang tulong. (Photo: Department of Social Welfare and Development/Facebook)

MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday said it has more than PHP800-million budget still available for the victims of calamities, including Typhoon Ulysses which left many flooded areas in Marikina City and provinces of Rizal and Bulacan.

DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao told the Philippine News Agency that the agency has over PHP226-million standby fund and PHP184-million quick response fund (QRF).

Undersecretary Rene Glen Paje earlier said the DSWD field or regional offices use the department’s QRFs in crisis situations.

Dumlao said DSWD has stockpiles of 282,000 family food packs worth PHP130 million, food items worth PHP177 million, non-food items worth PHP271 million that are ready for distribution.

“As part of our mandate to provide technical assistance and resource augmentation to local government units and being the lead in Camp Coordination and Camp Management, DSWD also ensures efficient and effective delivery of protective services to affected families as well as management of evacuation centers,” she said.

She said the DSWD always makes sure that evacuation centers are comfortable particularly for children and women.

“We also practice minimum health standards in coordination with the Health Department. Psychosocial supports are also extended to internally displaced persons,” she added.

DSWD personnel are doing fieldworks to assess the extent of caused by the typhoon to determine appropriate assistance. For the recovery phase, they are offering programs such as cash-for-work, emergency shelter assistance, among others.

As of 12 p.m. on Thursday, the DSWD-NCR has recorded 8,154 families or 33,158 individuals taking shelter in 187 evacuation camps in Metro Manila due to “Ulysses”.

“Ulysses” wreaked havoc across Luzon 10 days after Super Typhoon Rolly devastated Bicol Region, particularly Albay and Catanduanes.