Basyang relief efforts eclipse P82 million

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has allotted more than P82 million worth of food and non-food assistance for families affected by Tropical Storm Basyang, according to Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao in a DZMM broadcast on Monday, 09 February 2026.

Dumlao, who heads the department’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), said the assistance consists of family food packs, ready-to-eat food boxes, hygiene kits, sleeping and kitchen kits, water containers, and modular tents distributed to displaced families.

The assistance was extended to affected areas in the Bicol Region, Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, the Davao Region, Negros Island Region, and the Caraga Region.

The department also reported providing psychosocial support activities for internally displaced persons, including play therapy for displaced children in evacuation centers.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian visited affected communities in Iligan City and parts of the Caraga Region over the weekend to assess conditions, the department said.

Additional assistance, including emergency cash transfers and cash-for-work programs, may be provided once the agency completes its Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA).

According to the latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), more than 232,000 families were displaced by Tropical Storm Basyang, with 12 fatalities recorded as of the most recent update.