THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas has allocated P146.7 million in disaster response goods to assist localities affected by Tropical Storm Kristine, which has placed the region under Signal No. 1.
According to the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Division (DRMD), these resources included 114,568 family food packs valued at P89,287,108.72, and non-food items worth P57 million. The goods were ready to be dispatched if the situation worsens.
Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Arwin O. Razo emphasized the agency’s readiness.
“We, at the DSWD Field Office VI, are prepared should the affected localities need our augmentation of resources particularly now that provinces in Western Visayas are placed under Signal No. 1 due to Tropical Cyclone Kristine,” Razo said.
Among the family food packs, 64,317 have already been prepositioned in key locations across the region, ensuring swift deployment. These 68 preposition sites include nine in Aklan, 11 in Antique, 13 in Capiz, five in Guimaras, 15 in Iloilo, and 15 in Negros Occidental.
Non-food items, including family kits, sleeping kits, hygiene kits, kitchen kits, family tents, and modular tents, are also available to provide for the immediate needs of displaced or affected families.
The DSWD Quick Response Team has been activated to manage the response, ensuring timely assistance to local governments and communities impacted by the storm. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)
