The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Monday that it has sufficient stockpile of family food packs (FFPs) in the island province of Batanes which is directly in the path of tropical storm “Leon.”

As early as Wednesday (23 October), the DSWD’s National Resource Operations Center (NROC) was able to load 5,500 boxes of FFPs to a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship at Pier 13 in the Port of Manila bound for Batanes. The PCG vessel is expected to arrive in Batanes either on 30 October or 31 October.

Based on the NROC records, 1,658 boxes of FFPs has been prepositioned in Batanes with 674 FFPs in Itbayat; 387 FFPs in Sabtang; 46 FFPs in Ivana and 551 FFPs in Uyugan.

“When the PCG vessel arrives with 5,500 FFPs, the total prepositioned food packs in Batanes will be 7,158 by October 31,” Special Assistant to the Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group and concurrent officer-in-charge of the National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau Leo Quintilla said.

Quintilla said water filtration kit that produces potable water has also been deployed to the local government unit of Batanes during the 4 October visit to the island province of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

The DSWD Field Office 2-Cagayan Valley distributed the 20 units of water filtration kits from the firm Waves For Water to families affected by typhoon #JulianPH that severely battered the province of Batanes.

The portable water filtration kit, whose 0.1 micron filters can remove cholera, salmonella, E. Coli, coliform bacteria, includes a bucket adapter filter assembly, drill bit, filter hanger, cleaning plunger and instruction materials.

The portable water filtration system can be deployed to evacuation centers or communities where water sources and distribution system are affected or rendered damaged during natural calamities.