DSWD: Over 1.9M food packs ready nationwide as PH braces for Uwan

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned family food packs (FFPs) nationwide as part of its preparations for the anticipated devastation to be brought by potential Super Typhoon Uwan.

At a news forum on Saturday, DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said that over 1.9 million FFPs are ready for immediate use across its warehouses all over the country.

“At sa bilang po na iyan meron tayong mahigit 300,000 family food packs sa aming mga warehouses in Region III —40,000 of which are located in Aurora province,” she said.

(We have more than 300,000 family food packs in our warehouses in Region III —40,000 of which are located in Aurora province.)

“Sa Region II naman po mahigit 148,000 family food packs ang naka preposition. Meron kami sa Nueva Vizcaya more than 11,000 FFPs… sa Quirino more than 8,000, sa Isabela more than 46,000 ang naka preposition, and sa Cagayan more than 66,000,” she added.

(In Region II, more than 148,000 family food packs have been prepositioned. We have more than 11,000 FFPs in Nueva Vizcaya… in Quirino more than 8,000, in Isabela more than 46,000 have been prepositioned, and in Cagayan more than 66,000.)

READ: What’s inside DSWD’s family food packs?

The DSWD official said that in the Cordillera Administrative Region over 68,000 FFPs were prepositioned.

“Sa Region I, close to 100,000 ang naka preposition sa Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, at Pangasinan,” Dumlao said.

(In Region I, close to 100,000 are prepositioned in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan,)

She said the FFPs are already on the ground, and “it’s just a matter of accessing this or dispatching it to the local government units na magre-request for augmentation from the DSWD.”

Dumlao added that the agency’s Quick Response Teams (QRT) from various field offices (FO) are on red alert to provide augmentation support to local government units.

As part of its proactive measures, she said the DSWD has also deployed its mobile command centers, kitchens, and water filtration trucks to ensure uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance. 

Dumlao added that aside from sustained relief supplies, over 400 portable water filtration kits had been distributed in Tino-hit communities to ensure the supply of clean and safe potable water. 

The DSWD spokesperson said that the agency has also requested for a P625-million fund from the Department of Budget and Management to replenish its Quick Response Fund (QRF).

“Request namin is to sustain the ongoing disaster response operations for Tino-affected areas and also in preparation for Typhoon Uwan,” Dumlao said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News