In response to heavy rains and flooding in Mindanao, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has ordered Field Office 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) to deliver 30,000 family food packs (FFPs) to Maguindanao province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BARMM).

“Make necessary coordination so we can process full deployment of 30,000 FFPs for Maguindanao by tomorrow,” Gatchalian told FO-12 Regional Director Loreto Cabaya Jr. on Tuesday.

Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said FO-12 teams deployed 28,000 FFPs early Wednesday and began distribution upon arrival to both Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.

Distribution has commenced to 5,111 families in Ampatuan (Maguindanao del Sur) and 5,649 families in Mother Kabuntalan (Maguindanao del Norte). Dumlao said DRMG is coordinating with provincial and municipal disaster councils to fast-track aid delivery.

As of 2PM Tuesday, 5,215 families in SOCCSKSARGEN and 81,519 families in BARMM have been affected by rains tied to the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. The DSWD has provided nearly P4 million in humanitarian aid, including FFPs, drinking water and nonfood items such as hygiene, kitchen and sleeping kits.

“We expect these numbers to rise as we continue simultaneous disaster response efforts,” Dumlao said.