THE Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD) 7 has completed the second round of food assistance for quake-hit areas in northern Cebu and is now calling for more volunteers to help sustain its wider relief operations.
“We are done dispatching for the second round of assistance in northern Cebu,” said DSWD 7 Director Shalaine Marie Lucero in a message interview on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Lucero said volunteers are now needed to help pack Family Food Packs (FFPs) intended for Mindanao, as well as to replenish supplies for prepositioning and last-mile response efforts across the Visayas.
“The volunteers are needed to help pack for our support to Mindanao, preposition to spikes and last mile in the Visayas region and as part of our response efforts—we maintain 300,000 FFPs at any given time,” she added.
According to the DSWD 7 statement on its website, from Oct. 2 to Oct. 10, a total of 1,689 volunteers from schools, private organizations, religious groups, government offices, and barangays joined the repacking efforts at the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Barangay Tingub, Mandaue City.
Aid for survivors
Earlier, DSWD 7 deployed 225,864 FFPs in its first wave of relief assistance on Oct. 7, followed by another 225,000 packs for the second round, with Daanbantayan receiving the highest allocation.
Lucero encouraged the public to continue volunteering, saying their support remains crucial to ensuring that food and aid reach affected families quickly.
“Mag-uban ta sa pagtinabangay sa mga nanginahanglan. Help us ensure that no one is left behind, tungod kay Bawat Buhay Mahalaga sa DSWD,” she said.
In an interview with the media on Oct. 7, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured continuous government support, saying food distribution will be followed by cash assistance for quake-hit Cebuano families once local government units lay out data of partially damaged and totally damaged houses. / CDF