Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Thursday said he has directed the regional officials and personnel of Field Office-8 (Eastern Visayas) to help families in Northern Samar recover from the effects of flooding incidents brought about by a shear line that hit the province back in November 2023.

In line with Secretary Gatchalian’s directive, DSWD Eastern Visayas personnel started the distribution of cash assistance to the families in Northern Samar under the Department’s Emergency Cash Transfer program.

Officials of the DSWD Field Office-8 hope to complete the distribution of the cash aid to the 123,133 beneficiaries across the province by March 8. More than P374.3 million has been allocated by the DSWD for the ECT of the affected families.

The Field Office has already distributed cash aid worth over P32.7 million to 10,781 beneficiaries from various municipalities since the start of payout.