QUEZON CITY (PIA) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has announced its full activation of its hub in the San Simon, Pampanga to dispatch 10,000 to 15,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) a day to the Ilocos region and other local government units (LGUs) hit by Typhoon Marce (Yinxing).
“On orders from Secretary Rex Gatchalian, we have fully-activated our hubs in Central Luzon to amplify our resource capacity, particularly for Northern Luzon which sustained damages from the series of disasters including Marce,” DSWD spokesperson and Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao said on Friday, Nov. 8.
“In fact, just yesterday, we have already deployed 1,700 FFPs from our Pampanga hub bound for our Field Office in the Ilocos Region,” she added.
Meanwhile, the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City continues to repack around 20,000 to 25,000 boxes of relief supplies a day to stabilize the agency’s stockpile amid continuous requests for augmentation support from LGUs following tropical cyclones Kristine, Leon, and Marce, the department said.
Dumlao also assured that the DSWD Field Office 2 – Cagayan Valley’s Quick Response Teams have already been deployed in areas hit by Marce to extend immediate relief support to affected families and individuals.
She noted, “Yesterday, our personnel from FO-2 have provided relief items including 70 FFPs, 44 sleeping kits and 24 family kits to affected families in the municipality of Camalaniugan, 60 FFPs and 14 family kits to Lal-Lo, and 313 FFPs to Appari in Cagayan province.”
The DSWD’s FO in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has also taken immediate action, in partnership with local disaster responders, and assisted a total of 85 families or 242 individuals who have evacuated to the Consuela Barangay Hall in Sta. Marcela in Apayao province, she said.
Dumlao also announced that additional 8,000 boxes of FFPs are now en-route to Batanes province via the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Gabriela Silang to further boost the disaster response in the island province.
“Rest assured that we are closely monitoring the conditions of our kababayan. Together with our Field Offices, provincial and municipal personnel, and the support of other government responders, we are on alert status to extend prompt relief aid to affected communities,” Dumlao emphasized. (PIA DMD)
