The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office 5 in the Bicol Region, has vowed to continue providing sustained food and humanitarian assistance to families displaced by the ongoing restiveness of Mayon Volcano.

Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the department has so far delivered more than P7.8 million worth of humanitarian aid, including family food packs (FFPs), ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and non-food items (NFIs).

“In collaboration with other agencies and local government units (LGUs), we are intensifying our efforts and making preparations to ensure that the needs of the affected families taking temporary shelter in evacuation centers are well taken care of,” Dumlao said on Tuesday, 13 January.

With internally displaced persons expected to remain in evacuation centers while Mayon remains under Alert Level 3, the DSWD, in partnership with the Philippine Army and the Philippine Coast Guard, has established a tent city in Malilipot, Albay.

“Patuloy ang monitoring sa mga tent sites at evacuation areas, para masigurong maayos ang serbisyo at agad natutugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga displaced families. Ang direktiba ng ating Pangulo, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian ay walang maiiwan at tuloy-tuloy ang tulong hangga’t kinakailangan,” Dumlao said.

The DRMG official reported that the department continues to distribute FFPs, RTEF, and NFIs, while also serving hot and nutritious meals through mobile kitchens to ensure proper nourishment for displaced families.

Potable water is likewise being supplied through the DSWD’s mobile water station, which has been operational since January 9. Dumlao stressed that relief operations remain uninterrupted, with field teams coordinating closely with LGUs to address the basic needs of affected communities and ensure safe and humane conditions at evacuation and tent sites.

“Ang importante dito ay may pagkain, malinis na tubig, at maayos na suporta yung mga pamilyang lumikas. Continuous din ang coordination natin with LGUs para masigurong walang napapabayaan. Nais din po naming ipaalam na handa po ang DSWD na tumugon sa mga pangangailangang pangmatagalan ng ating mga apektadong Bicolanos,” she said.