The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 8 (DWSD Eastern Visayas) received various disaster response equipment units that were donated by the World Food Programme (WFP) as part of the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as "Bagyong Yolanda".

A reach truck, rice milling machine, automatic box sealing machine, portable vacuum sealing machine, retractable roller conveyor, hydraulic hand pallet trucks, plastic pallet bins, high volume low-speed ceiling fan, and generator set were just among the equipment units that were donated. The handover ceremony was held on Wednesday, 8 November, in Palo, Leyte.

The DSWD and its key partners, including the WFP and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), reaffirmed their collaboration and joint efforts in building resilience among communities and strengthening the country's emergency preparedness and response.

"The commemoration of this significant milestone not only marks a moment of remembrance but also symbolizes our collective commitment to disaster preparedness and response excellence," DSWD Undersecretary for Disaster Response and Management Group Diane Rose Cajipe pointed out.

Cajipe also pledged to utilize the resources efficiently to improve response and preparedness efforts in times of calamities.

"The equipment being handed over today is not just a physical representation but a testament to our shared determination to safeguard the lives of our fellow Filipinos," Cajipe added.

The WFP program, with the generous support of USAID, procured various equipment units and turned these over to the DSWD Eastern Visayas in response to the department's request for support in upgrading its warehouse capacity, ensuring that the regional warehouse will be able to continuously supply the requirements within the area.

"These will enable DSWD to efficiently address the needs of the Eastern Visayas region during emergencies," WFP-Philippine Country Director ad-interim Dipayan Bhattacharyya noted.

Bagyong Yolanda struck the Philippines in November 2013 resulting in over 6,300 deaths and the displacement of several thousand families across different provinces.

Based on reports, the DSWD provided emergency shelter assistance to more than 1.1 million households, whose houses were partially and totally damaged by the super typhoon, as well as cash-for-building livelihood assets to over 226,300 affected families in exchange for community-based labor.

The DSWD also provided Sustainable Livelihood grants to more than 117,088 beneficiaries to strengthen their resilience through livelihood assets.

Undersecretary for National Household Targeting System and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Vilma Cabrera shared the narrative of significant partnership and collaboration between the DSWD and the international community.

"Yolanda brought devastations, but it also triggered for the country to prepare," Cabrera said.

The donated equipment will be utilized by the DSWD Eastern Visayas in its warehouse operations to enhance its stockpiling capacity and improve production and repacking, ensuring a longer shelf life of rice and other relief goods, particularly those that will be delivered and prepositioned in the different satellite and warehouses of the local government units.

"As your partner in prosperity, the US government remains committed to supporting DSWD in providing life-saving support to help Filipinos bounce back from disasters and live a productive life," USAID Mission Director for the Philippines Ryan Washburn said.

Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla commended the initiative as he stressed that the problem is not centralization but actually distribution.

"In any disaster, the distribution of resources is very crucial," Gov. Petilla said.

Through the types of equipment donated by WFP and USAID, the DSWD will improve its disaster operations, particularly stockpiling and prepositioning of relief resources down to the local level.