PAGADIAN CITY (PIA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) here has assured the public that they are well-prepared for the La Niña weather phenomenon, which is expected to bring significant rainfall and potential flooding to various regions, including Zamboanga Peninsula.
Regional Director Riduan P. Hadjimuddin emphasized the department’s readiness, informing that they had a preparatory meeting with DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, together with the disaster response management group. He also stated that they have pre-positioned goods in the different municipalities in the region.
Hadjimuddin elaborated that goods are strategically placed in municipalities prone to disasters. “Aside from that, we have our regular warehouses located, for example, in Zamboanga, Ipil, Pagadian, Dipolog, and Liloy. We have these warehouses aside from those that we have pre-positioned in the different LGUs (local government units),” he added.
DSWD also mentioned that it is a directive from their central office to ensure that food and non-food items are ready, especially in disaster-prone areas.
When asked about their preparedness for the upcoming La Niña, Hadjimuddin confirmed, “Yes, we are ready. We have pre-positioned over 70,000 family food packs in various areas, including those with the LGUs.”
Based on DSWD-9’s data, a total of 74,127 family food packs amounting to around P71.5 million are available in the DSWD regional warehouses and pre-positioned in LGUs.
Additionally, a total of 34,148 non-food items amounting to over P60.7 million are available from DSWD. Some of these non-food items include hygiene kits, sleeping kits, kitchen kits, and modular tents.
With the anticipation of widespread flooding in the Zamboanga Peninsula, the availability of modular tents was brought into question. Hadjimuddin addressed this issue and noted that some of their units have already been provided to the LGUs.
“I think we have to request some more because we have already provided some of the units that we have to the LGUs. So we’ll have to request it from our end because the procurement of this is centralized at the national level,” he said.
According to the recent La Niña watch by DOST-PAGASA for Mindanao, there is a 69 percent chance that La Niña will develop between July and September 2024. Government agencies, including DSWD, are ramping up their preparations to mitigate the impact of this potential disaster. (EDT/HTB/PIA9-Zamboanga del Sur)
