Mall employees affected by Mindanao quake receive cash aid

Taking cue on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s instruction to continue the relief operations in areas affected by Friday's earthquake in Mindanao, Department of Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary for Innovations Edu Punay led the distribution of relief assistance to employees of the Gaisano Grand Koronadal mall which was severely affected by the 6.8 magnitude earthquake.

Punay said over 400 mall employees received P2,000 each under the DSWD's Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program in addition to two boxes of family food packs (FFPs).

On the other hand, personnel of the DSWD Field Office 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) also distributed cash aid amounting to P2,000 as well as FFPs to some 41 fisherfolk in the City of Koronadal whose fishing boats were damaged due to the tremor.

"We, in the department, will continue to conduct monitoring, validation, and distribution of FFPs, other relief items, and financial assistance to the families and individuals affected by the earthquake, especially those who lost their source of income, as instructed by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, and President Marcos," DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said on the other end.

Based on the November 20 Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) report, a total of 5,859 families or 27,155 individuals were recorded to have been affected by the earthquake in the SOCCSKSARGEN region.

As of press time, the DSWD FO 12 has available P5 million standby funds; 55,352 boxes of food packs; and P57.6 million worth of food and non-food items (FNIs) prepositioned in various warehouses in the region.

Lopez, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said the agency has sufficient funds to provide augmentation support to the affected local government units (LGUs), with more than P2.8 billion in standby and stockpile funds.