QUEZON CITY, Philippines – In preparation for Typhoon ‘Butchoy’, which is projected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this afternoon, all Field Offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continue to preposition goods at the local level.
DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo cited that DSWD-Field Office VII which manages the Visayas Disaster Hub located in Cebu City has 31,434 family food packs ready to be delivered to local government units that will be affected by the typhoon. Another warehouse in Bohol has 670 food packs.
Apart from these, some 11,400 food packs have been allotted for local government units (LGUs) in Trinidad, Tubigon and Carlos P. Garcia in Bohol Province; Canlaon City and Mabinay, Negros Oriental; and the municipalities of Poro and Pilar in Cebu.
The Field Office also has P3,008,732 in standby funds that can be used to purchase emergency relief supplies.
It also has three shifts of Quick Response Teams (QRTs), trained stress debriefers and camp personnel on standby duty and ready for augmentation to affected local government units.
“We are ensuring that everything is in place in anticipation of Typhoon Butchoy,” Sec. Taguiwalo assured. “The DSWD Field Office VII has the full support of the Central Office should it need additional resources for our kababayans in Cebu so their safety and security can be protected. We will also exercise vigilance and watch out in particular for all the women and children, as well as elderly citizens who are the most vulnerable to calamities,” she said.
Even without Butchoy making landfall, parts of Cebu are already flooded; and this already a factor that the DSWD-FO VII will have to consider in the implementation of its efforts to help those who are affected.
DSWD preps for ‘Butchoy’ as it enters the Philippines
