DSWD chief: Relief, recovery for Uwan-hit Catanduanes to continue

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday assured residents of Typhoon Uwan-struck Catanduanes that more help is on the way to help them cope and rebuild after the calamity.

This was after DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian visited the province on orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who told him to ensure that all the needs of the local government units (LGUs) and affected families are met.

“Bago pa tumama ‘yong bagyo, mayroon na tayong prepositioned na close to 20,000 family food packs (FFPs) dito sa Catanduanes at nagamit na ‘yan at patuloy na ginagamit,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

(Even before the typhoon hit, we already prepositioned close to 20,000 family food packs here in Catanduanes and we’ve already used that and are continuing to use it.)

He then assured residents of Catanduanes that the DSWD will continue providing support to address the needs of affected families.

“Ang request ng probinsya, sana 87,000 na family food packs at ang utos ng Pangulo, walang pamilya na apektado na magugutom. Kaya in the next five days, matatapos natin ‘yung buong 87,000,” he said.

(The province requested 87,000 family food packs. The President’s directive was that no affected family should go hungry. So in the next five days, we will finish that 87,000.)

“Hindi kami titigil sa pagbibigay ng tulong, lalong-lalo na sa ganitong panahon, hanggang sa maka-recover ang ating mga kababayan sa Catanduanes,” Gatchalian added.

(We won’t stop extending help especially in these times, until our countrymen in Catanduanes have recovered.)

Catanduanes was placed under Signal No. 5 when Uwan, then a super typhoon, tore through the province and caused floods and extensive damage.

Gatchalian said the relief operations of the DSWD will be followed by the DSWD’s recovery phase.

“Recovery naman ang ating pag-uusapan at partner pa rin nila ang DSWD, kasi gusto ng Pangulo, mabalik ang kanilang mga normal na pamumuhay,” he said.

(We will then talk about recovery and they will still have the DSWD as their partner, because the President wants them to return to normalcy soon.)

The DSWD Field Office 5 in the Bicol region also extended immediate relief aid to affected families in all of Catanduanes’ barangays.

As of Tuesday, November 11, 53,705 individuals across 11 municipalities in the province were affected by Uwan, with reports of 756 totally damaged houses and 4,322 partially damaged homes.

The DSWD’s total cost of assistance has reached P4,100,011.86, including 6,336 FFPs worth P3,959,391.86 and 89 non-food items (NFIs) amounting to P140,620.

The DSWD Field Office 5, through its Disaster Response and Management Division (DRMD) and Regional Resource Operations Section (RROS), maintains standby funds worth P123,499,937.23 and prepositioned relief stockpiles.

This includes P3 million in standby funds, 108,422 FFPs worth P63,694,178.00, and 20,108 NFIs amounting to P44,626,203.65.

A mobile kitchen was also deployed to Matnog Port in Sorsogon to serve hot meals to stranded passengers and families in evacuation centers. 

The DSWD also activated its Mobile Command Center (MCC) in Catanduanes to facilitate faster communication and assessment of the situation on the ground.

The government agency, in addition, established child-friendly spaces (CFS) and women-friendly spaces (WFS) to ensure protection and support for vulnerable groups. These areas host play-based and creative activities that promote normalcy and psychosocial recovery among displaced children. — JMA, GMA Integrated News