CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 7 highlighted their Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) during the 8th General Assembly of the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO) Region 7 on Sept. 26.
Jun Eso, chief administrative poficer of the VDRC, led the afternoon tour in one of their warehouses in Tingub, Mandaue City.
Eso emphasized the importance of acquiring the Mechanized Production System (MPS), which has significantly hastened the production of DSWD Family Food Packs (FFP).
“Ang MPS pas-pas siya kay makapack siya ug bugas nga 6 kilograms, 17 bags in a minute then pwede namo siya ma-extend into 25 bags depende sa need. So, kung pakusgan namo ang dagan sa machine if ever need jud namo makaproduce but if dili need 17 bags kay likayan sad namo nga madaot ang machine if sagaron nato iyang capacity,” Eso explained.
(MPS is fast, as it can pack 6 kilograms of rice into 17 bags per minute. We can also extend this to 25 bags depending on the need. We can increase the machine’s speed if required, but we avoid overloading it to prevent damage).
Eso noted that during Typhoon Odette in 2021, the MPS was highly reliable, especially given the urgent need for FFPs in the affected areas.
“Kung modemand sila ug 10,000, makaproduced sad dayon mi ug 10,000 unya dayon deploy,” he added.
(If they requested 10,000 packs, we could produce and deploy 10,000 right away).
DSWD also acquired a vacuum packaging machine, which preserves rice from rice weevils (bukbok) and makes storage easier.
“We observed that ang rice mo-bukbok jud siya after 20 days. So, we need to vacuum pack the packaging para mamatay ang bukbok at the same time para mastore nato siya up to 1 year,” Eso said.
(We observed that rice develops weevils after 20 days, so we need to vacuum-pack it to kill the weevils and store the rice for up to a year).
Foot sealer machines and handheld sealer machines are also being used in the warehouse, bringing the total to 24 machines that can produce 34,560 FFPs in eight hours.
Each FFP consists of six kilos of rice, two canned sardines, four canned corned beef, four canned tuna, five sachets of instant coffee, and five sachets of cereal drink – enough to feed a family of three to five members for three to five days.
For individuals interested in working at the VDRC, DSWD-7 offers cash-for-work assistance, particularly to indigent residents near the facility.
Volunteers are also welcome.
Eso noted that to prevent spoilage, FFPs distributed to local government units were utilized in a food-for-work program.
The MPS is part of a strategic partnership between DSWD and the United Nations World Food Programme aimed at enhancing the Philippine government’s emergency response and supply chain capacity.
Since 2016, the facility has produced more than four million FFPs. (MYP/PIA7)
