THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has activated its red alert status as tropical depression (TD) Wilma maintained its strength and hovered in areas across Visayas.
“The DSWD and its Disaster Response Command Center (DRCC) have been on red alert since Friday. Our field offices are closely monitoring the situation so that we can continuously assist our countrymen affected by Wilma,” said DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao in a statement on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.
Coordination
Dumlao said all field offices in the affected regions are continuously coordinating with different local government units (LGUs) to ensure a timely and well-coordinated response.
She assured the public that the DSWD has enough family food packs, ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes and other needed relief items prepositioned in warehouses across the country.
To date, the DSWD maintains P2.1 billion worth of relief stockpiles and standby funds.
She said the DSWD and its volunteers also continue to repack food at the Luzon Disaster Resource Center in Pasay City and at the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Mandaue City, Cebu, to maintain the agency’s disaster preparedness.
The DSWD 5 (Bicol Region) on Friday, Dec. 5, distributed RTEF boxes to approximately 2,000 stranded passengers and drivers at the Matnog and Castilla ports in the province of Sorsogon.
Stranded passengers at the Surigao City Port and Nasipit Port also received RTEF boxes from DSWD 13 (Caraga).
Dumlao said DSWD quick response teams in the agency’s field offices are also on standby to respond to possible emergencies.
Aside from relief assistance, Dumlao said the DSWD’s mobile command centers and mobile kitchens are also ready for deployment to facilitate the swift delivery of social services.
“All that we need to deploy for the prompt delivery of assistance are ready in line with the directives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and (Social Welfare) Secretary Rex Gatchalian that no family should go hungry in times of calamities,” she added.
Public safety
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed all concerned police offices and units to prepare for the adverse effects of Wilma.
In a statement, Nartatez said coordination with LGUs and other concerned agencies will be made to maximize and strategize the government response to ensure public safety.
“Our personnel on the ground were already alerted and they are ready. Coordination will be done with concerned local government units and agencies for public safety that include preemptive evacuation and prepositioning of mobility and rescue assets,” he said.
Nartatez reminded officers to continuously monitor forecasts from the weather bureau to guide their preparations in line with the President’s directive to the PNP to ensure that all government agencies, particularly uniformed personnel, remain on standby for any weather disturbances.
Nartatez said all necessary assets are being readied for preemptive evacuations and emergency operations.
He also encouraged local communities to stay informed, monitor official weather updates and cooperate with authorities in ensuring their safety amid the possible effects of the weather disturbance. / PNA