DSWD disburses over P870M in aid for quake, flooding victims

The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday said it has already completed its disaster response efforts by extending more than P870 million worth of humanitarian aid to families affected by earthquakes in Mindanao and weather disturbances in the Visayas.

“The DSWD, through its Field Offices in Eastern Visayas (Region 8), SOCCSKSARGEN (Region 12), and Caraga Region, has provided family food packs (FFPs) worth over P284 million, non-food items amounting to over P6 million,” DSWD Asst. Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez, who is also the agency spokesperson said.

The DSWD spokesperson said the Visayas and Mindanao field offices also rendered financial aid reaching P578 million under the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), for some 150,356 disaster-affected families.

The ECT is an adaptive strategy for bridging the gaps between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support through outright cash aid for disaster-affected families in areas under a state of calamity.

The AICS serves as a social safety net or a stop-gap mechanism to support the recovery of individuals and families from unexpected crises such as illness or death of a family member, natural and man-made disasters, and other crisis situations.

Lopez said the DSWD’s response efforts in the disaster-hit regions in Visayas and Mindanao started in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In Northern Samar, the DSWD provided over P540 million worth of humanitarian aid to families affected by the shear line and low pressure area that hit the Visayas region last November 2023. The assistance consisted of 215,829 FFPs, 76 non-food items, and financial aid worth more than P394 million for 130,082 families.

For the families affected by the November 2023 magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Sarangani province, the agency distributed humanitarian assistance worth P145 million. This comprised of 36,110 FFPs, 3,825 non-food items, and financial assistance worth P113 million for 13,583 recipients.

In Caraga Region, the families displaced by the December 2023 magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Surigao del Sur received P184 million worth of aid that included 168,772 FFPs, 37 non-food items, and financial assistance worth P70 million for 6,691 beneficiaries.

“We assure the public that while our Field Office personnel have already concluded their response efforts in the disaster-struck localities, they will continue to work closely with concerned local government units to ensure the continuous recovery of the affected families,” the DSWD spokesperson said.