Three field offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development have begun distributing boxes of ready-to-eat food (RTEF) to stranded passengers at ports affected by Tropical Depression Verbena.

Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG) said DSWD Field Office CALABARZON has provided RTEF boxes to 94 stranded passengers at Dalahican Port in Lucena City, Quezon.

“Our field offices already began distributing RTEF yesterday to the locally stranded individuals (LSIs) at the ports that will be passed through by Typhoon Verbena,” Asec. Dumlao said in Filipino on Tuesday.

In Negros Occidental, the DSWD’s Field Office – Negros Island Region distributed food boxes to 100 LSIs at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation (BREDCO) Port in Bacolod City. Another 39 LSIs at Surigao City Port received similar assistance from Field Office Caraga.

Dumlao emphasized that the RTEF boxes are Halal-certified to ensure the meals remain inclusive and culturally appropriate.

“Each RTEF is composed of halal-certified meals. This is given to evacuees and stranded passengers so they have available food within the 24 to 48-hour period that the typhoon hits an area,” she said.

Each box contains five cans of tuna paella, one can of chicken pastil, one can of giniling, two packs of arroz caldo, three packs of champorado, two protein biscuits and one infant food item.

In addition to the RTEF distribution, food and non-food assistance amounting to ₱38,454 was delivered to Surigao del Norte, according to the DSWD.

The agency said it continues to coordinate with local government units to monitor the condition of 1,832 families, or 5,580 individuals, currently taking shelter in 61 evacuation centers across the Negros Island Region and Caraga.

“Our countrymen can rest assured that the DSWD will continue to coordinate with our LGUs to ensure that sufficient aid is distributed to the citizens affected by Typhoon Verbena,” Dumlao added.