DSWD provides aid to areas battered by ‘Ambo’
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided augmentation assistance to regions affected by Typhoon Ambo.
In Bicol Region, DSWD Field Office (FO) V provided 521 Family Food Packs (FFPs) to the local government of Sorsogon City and 912 FFPs to the local government of Casiguran, Sorsogon amounting to P673,510.
Likewise, in Eastern Visayas, DSWD FO VIII prepositioned 1,350 FFPs in Northern Samar, while 1,600 FFPs from the DSWD Visayas Disaster Response Center (VDRC) in Cebu were delivered to Catarman, Northern Samar. An additional 6,300 FFPs are now in transit to the DSWD warehouse in the said area.
DSWD VDRC also transported 600 FFPs to Borongan City Airport, while 1,500 FFPs are now in transit to Dolores, Eastern Samar, and another 1,500 FFPs will be sent to Can-avid, Eastern Samar.
Meanwhile, the DSWD FO VIII Regional Resource Operations Center (RROC) dispatched 2,300 FFPs to Arteche and San Policarpio, Eastern Samar.
The Department also coordinated with the Philippine Air Force to airlift 1,600 FFPs via C-130 plane from the VDRC to Catarman, Northern Samar.
Based on the 6PM May 17 report of the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), some 60,285 families or 218,400 persons were affected in 173 barangays in Regions II, III, VIII and in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Currently, DSWD has stockpiles and standby funds amounting to P1,451,006,874.16. The amount is broken down into P178,123,861.64 for 396,025 FFPs; P264,898,262.17 worth of other food-items; P483,688,815.39 worth of non-food items (FNIs); and P524,295,934.96 standby funds which can be used for relief operations.
DSWD also has available Quick Response Fund (QRF) of P484,852,023.93. This serves as standby funds of the DSWD Central Office which will be used to cover relief and rehabilitation operations during disasters and calamities.
The Department, through its FOs, also continues to coordinate with affected local government units (LGUs) to determine the extent of the disaster and to identify other appropriate assistance needed by the affected families. (DSWD)
