THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)–Cordillera assured immediate assistance to the families which may be affected by the Typhoon Ramon.
Neri Villanueva, public information officer of DSWD-CAR said aside from those families which were affected by Typhoon Quiel, resources will also be distributed immediately to affected families which are now on standby in warehouses of LGU’s.
“In Apayao Province, 352 families composed of 1,251 person have been affected with 15 families composed of 58 persons listed under pre-emotive evacuees. The first to have given assistance was the local government unit with 15 family food packs that were given to them while the DSWD will provide for augmentation of supplies to the LGU once the need arises,” Villanueva said.
Aside from Apayao Province, the provincial governments of Abra and Kalinga have readied their warehouses of family food packs and none-food pack items which will be ready for deployment and distribution to the possible affected families of the typhoon.
“As of now, we have provided family food packs and non-food items to the different provinces in the region like for Apayao Province, there are around 2,000 family food packs and 500 sleeping kits. Abra have been provided with 1,500 family food packs, Kalinga was provided with 3,000 family food packs which are now in place in their respective provinces,” Villanueva explained.
For isolated areas which will need the most immediate support, DSWD have coordinated with other government line agencies and other partners in delivering the much needed relief goods.
“In isolated areas, we do as much as we can in order to provide support to them like in Calanasan, Apayao, the goods were brought by boat to reach these isolated communities and we also have our partners who assists us in the transport of these goods, so it is not only the DSWD who brings these goods to them but through an inter-agency effort for these food and non-food items to reach them,” Villanueva explained.
Although DSWD hopes the region will be spared by Ramon, the agency is still on standby to deliver relief goods aside from a standby fund which will be used for the acquisition of additional resources.
“For now we cannot say if there would be communities which may be isolated in case there would be, we are ready to coordinate with our partners to help us bring this support to the possible affected communities. We maintain an amount as a standby fund which will be used by the DSWD for augmentation purposes which is at P3 million which may be used to buy additional family food packs if ever this will be needed in the communities, and we are calling on the families which may be affected by Typhoon Ramon to please go directly to the nearest DSWD office or representative for support needed,” Villanueva added.