Mindanao relief efforts intensified amid 'Basyang’' onslaught

Various government agencies have mobilized millions in aid and deployed heavy equipment to Mindanao and the Visayas to assist more than 579,000 people affected by tropical storm “Basyang.”

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has allocated more than 82 million pesos for relief goods and equipment, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao announced Monday, which covers family food packs, ready-to-eat meals, hygiene kits, and modular tents for those staying in the 391 evacuation centers currently in operation.

Beyond immediate physical supplies, the DSWD is providing psychosocial first aid to “internally displaced persons,” with a specific focus on children through play therapy.

“It is part of our mandate to protect the rights and interests of internally displaced persons,” Dumlao said in a radio interview.

She added that once damage assessments are complete, the agency plans to transition from food aid to “emergency cash transfers” to help families rebuild lost homes and livelihoods.

On the infrastructure front, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered 24-hour clearing operations following a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to speed up the delivery of relief.

Quick-response teams are currently working to reopen the Panuliran Bridge in Iligan City, which collapsed during the storm, and several sections of the Surigao-Davao Coastal Road blocked by landslides.

While major arteries are being cleared, officials have advised motorists that several roads in Northern Mindanao remain passable only to light vehicles due to ongoing flooding and fallen trees.