REGIONAL Director Janet Armas said the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD-CAR) is prepared in case of unexpected disasters anytime this year.
"We are asked to be faster and bolder in the response that we will be giving to victims of disasters," she told media in a press conference.
The DSWD-CAR has already purchased goods and repacked them into 1,600 family packs allotted per province to be distributed not only in the capital towns but also in cluster municipalities prone to geohazards in the region.
Some 2,600 family packs were also assembled earlier by the regional office to be distributed in Benguet, Baguio City and nearby municipalities of Mt. Province in case supply of goods comes short.
Armas said the family packs include canned sardines, rice and a veggie noodles product purchased from Benguet State University.
She explained canned goods must still be included in the family packs because these are ready to eat.
Armas said ready to eat foods are still preferred by the agency since evacuees need not cook food from their family packs anymore.
She said the agency is coordinating with their central office for possible suppliers of ready to eat foods.
Armas also noted the regional office has already allotted around P168,000 financial assistance for LGUs, which can be released at any given time if needed.
Aside from supplies in time of disasters, Armas assured DSWD-CAR that response teams have already tied up with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Committee of different provinces in the region, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Committee of Baguio City and Tabuk City as well as the Office of the Civil Defense for 24-hours duty of patrol, monitoring and immediate response.
Under their Core Shelter Assistance Program, Armas shared 1,250 core shelters were already constructed around the region for victims of typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi and to those residents whose houses are located in hazard areas as identified by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
Some 470 core shelters are also still under construction and 79 were approved for construction as of May this year.