The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has fully activated its hub in San Simon town in Pampanga which is set to dispatch 10,000 to 15,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) a day to the Ilocos Region and other local government units (LGUs) hit by Typhoon Marce.

“On orders from Secretary Gatchalian, we have fully-activated our hubs in Central Luzon to amplify our resource capacity, particularly for Northern Luzon which sustained damages from the series of disasters including Marce,” Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, who is also the DSWD’s

spokesperson, said on Friday, 8 November.

“In fact, just yesterday [7 November], we have already deployed 1,700 FFPs from our Pampanga hub bound for our Field Office in the Ilocos Region,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.

The National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City has been repacking around 20,000 to 25,000 boxes of relief supplies a day to stabilize the agency’s stockpile amid continuous requests for augmentation support from LGUs following tropical cyclones Kristine, Leon, and Marce.

This was earlier announced by DRMG Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe during the preparedness meeting for Marce last 5 November at the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City

Response for Marce-hit areas

Dumlao assured LGUs that the DSWD Field Office 2 - Cagayan Valley’s Quick Response Teams have already been deployed in areas hit by Marce to extend immediate relief support to affected families and individuals.

“Yesterday [7 November], our personnel from FO-2 have provided relief items including 70 FFPs, 44 sleeping kits and 24 family kits to affected families in the municipality of Camalaniugan, 60 FFPs and 14 family kits to Lal-Lo, and 313 FFPs to Appari in Cagayan province,” the DRMG official said.

The DSWD’s FO in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has also taken immediate action, in partnership with local disaster responders, and assisted a total of 85 families or 242 individuals who have evacuated to the Consuela Barangay Hall in Sta. Marcela in Apayao province.

Dumlao said an additional 8,000 boxes of FFPs are now en-route to Batanes province via the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Gabriela Silang to further boost the disaster response in the island province.

“Rest assured that we are closely monitoring the conditions of our kababayan. Together with our Field Offices, provincial and municipal personnel, and the support of other government responders, we are on alert status to extend prompt relief aid to affected communities,” the DRMG official pointed out.