The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said it has so far provided a total of P49,661,444.20 worth of assistance to areas affected by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the Davao Region.

Assistant Secretary Juan Carlo Marquez, who also serves as the DSWD co-spokesperson, said the agency has distributed a total of 54,660 family food packs (FFPs) to affected families in the region — 52,660 FFPs in Davao Oriental and 2,000 in Davao de Oro. Prepositioned food packs are also available in Davao del Norte to ensure immediate response to any further needs or requests for augmentation from local government units (LGUs).

“Apart from the FFPs, DSWD Field Office (FO) 11 – Davao Region has provided ready-to-eat food (RTEF) and non-food items to the affected LGUs,” Marquez said.

The amount of assistance is expected to rise as LGUs continue to conduct situational analyses, he added.

As part of its ongoing disaster response, FO 11’s mobile kitchen continues to provide meals to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Tarragona, Davao Oriental — one of the hardest-hit towns by the powerful quake. The Department has also distributed family tents in the towns of Manay and Tarragona to provide safe shelters for IDPs.

“In line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the DSWD under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian is committed to providing food, water, and other needs of our affected fellow Davaoeños,” Marquez said.

The agency has also begun conducting psychosocial first aid in Tarragona and Manay to help quake survivors cope with trauma.

Marquez expressed the Department’s condolences to the families of casualties, saying, “We have extended financial assistance to help the families at this time of great need. Assistance was also provided to the families of those injured during the earthquake.”

The DSWD continues to coordinate with other national government agencies, LGUs, and partner organizations to assist hospitals severely affected by the quake.

“We helped coordinate and facilitate the installation of a Mobile Storage Unit (MSU) tent from the World Food Programme (WFP). The MSU tent was put up yesterday and now serves as a temporary hospital facility to help the Regional Medical Center in Tagum City,” Marquez said.

The DSWD’s Davao Region Field Office also initiated the setup of modular storage units at Carmen District Hospital to provide patients and families with temporary shelters while hospital operations gradually return to normal. Additional MSUs were distributed to Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital to support its operations.

Marquez assured the public that the DSWD has sufficient resources and will continue collaborating with LGUs to ensure timely aid delivery.

“The DSWD has enough supplies and resources for sustained disaster operations. Rest assured that we have everyone in mind, and the Department is always focused on ensuring that no one will be left behind,” he said.