Visayas readies relief packs for El Niño

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Central Visayas are strengthening preparations for the expected El Niño conditions, with more than 101,000 family food packs already positioned in Cebu and Bohol.

DSWD-7 assistant regional director for Operations Jiah Sayson said 101,259 family food packs have been prepositioned in the two provinces ahead of the anticipated drought period from November to February 2027.

Of the total, 66,343 packs have been distributed to local government units (LGUs), while 34,916 remain in DSWD warehouses, Sayson said.

Other relief supplies include hygiene kits, kitchen kits, sleeping kits and clothing kits.

In Cebu, 16 of the 53 LGUs have completed stockpiling, representing about 30 percent of the province’s local governments. These include Daanbantayan and Badian, as well as the cities of Toledo, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

In Bohol, 23 of 48 LGUs, or about 48 percent, have joined the stockpiling effort. These include Candijay, Loon, Talibon and Tubigon.

Sayson said the preparations aim to protect vulnerable households and farmers, with the number of potential beneficiaries estimated at between 4,000 and 18,000.