DSWD: P884-M standby funds, stockpiles ready for distribution amid Rolly onslaught

A total of P884 million worth of standby funds and stockpiles are ready for distribution to assist families and individuals affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Rolly, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Sunday.

During the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council briefing, DSWD Undersecretary Felicisimo Budiongan said a total of P263 million of this amount are standby funds which have already been frontloaded to their field offices.

Meanwhile, the remaining are P579 million worth of stockpiles, composed of P115 million worth of family food packs ready for distribution and P180 million worth of other food items pre-positioned at their field offices.

At the same time, the DSWD also has P279 million worth of non-food items, such of tents, laminated sacks, hygiene kits, sleeping kits and kitchen kits, Budiongan said.

These are all ready for distribution to those affected by the typhoon, he added.

"Ang ating quick response teams in the field offices and central offices are now standby on call, ready to be fielded kung kailangan," Budiongan said.

"Ang kalihim ng DSWD ay nagpupunta sa mga field offices upang tignan ang kanilang paghahanda. As of now, we are ready to provide augmentations to the local government units," he added.

Budiongan said the DSWD is also ready to augment the resources of local government units should they need more to effectively respond to the impact of Typhoon Rolly.

"Ang DSWD ay nagbibigay din naman, nag-aaugment tayo sa LGUs sa pagbibigay ng family food packs doon sa mga nangangailangan," he said.

"Kailangan lang sabihin ng local government units na medyo kulang na sila sa pondo, at nandiyan lang ang DSWD, ang ating mga regional offices upang magbigay ng augmentation sa ating LGUs," he added.

Rolly has weakened into a typhoon before noon on Sunday, but remains a threat as Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 4 is still hoisted over 20 areas, according to PAGASA. — RSJ, GMA News