DSWD: Volunteers needed in readying more food packs for Mayon relief ops

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday urged Filipinos to volunteer in repacking family food packs (FFPs) to ensure a sufficient supply of food for families affected by Mayon Volcano’s heightened unrest.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) called on the public to volunteer at the Luzon Disaster Resource Center (LDRC) in Pasay City, one of their major repacking hubs.

“Iniimbitahan natin yung ating mga kababayan natin na i-spend ang parte ng kanilang bagong taon sa pagbo-volunteer sa ginagawa nating disaster response preparations. Malaki ang papel ng mga volunteers sa ating disaster response,” Dumlao said in a statement.

(We invite our countrymen to spend part of their New Year in volunteering for our ongoing disaster response preparations. Our volunteers play a big role in disaster response.)

“Sa bawat family food pack na nabubuo, may isang pamilya na agad nating natutulungan sa oras ng sakuna,” the DSWD spokesperson added.

(In each family food pack that we make, we help one family in their time of crisis.)

Volunteers will assist in the repacking and preparation of FFPs as part of the DSWD’s proactive disaster preparedness measures.

“Before deployment, there will be an orientation to ensure the safety of volunteers around the repacking center,” Dumlao said.

Volunteers may render service from Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the LDRC in Pasay City.

Interested individuals may register through the official DSWD volunteer form link: https://forms.gle/MV7c6294ZNMrcxgP6.

Earlier, the DSWD’s National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB) also appealed for additional volunteers to help in the production of FFPs at the LDRC in Pasay City.

“This call for volunteers is part of our proactive response to the heightened activity and the raising to Alert Level 3 status of Mayon Volcano, ensuring that the DSWD is ready to support affected communities,” Dumlao said.

The DSWD made the call as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded another pyroclastic density current (PDC) event at the Mayon Volcano on Thursday morning.

PHIVOLCS said a “newborn dark lava dome” was seen at the summit of Mayon Volcano as it shed a PDC or “uson” on the Miisi Gully on the southern upper slopes at 11:40 a.m. Thursday.

A total of 49 PDCs were shed on Thursday morning on the Miisi, Bonga and Basud gullies, it added.

On Thursday, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian visited Albay to check on the affected families and oversee the ongoing disaster response operations amid Mayon Volcano’s restiveness.

The DSWD said there are 963 families or 3,516 individuals sheltered at 13 evacuation centers, while 12 families or 39 individuals are temporarily staying with relatives or friends.

Gatchalian said he was ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to personally assess the preemptive evacuations and coordinate with local officials on the support needed by their affected constituents.

He also helped in the distribution of FFPs, ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and non-food items (NFIs) to affected residents.

Gatchalian earlier ordered the additional deployment of 100,000 FFPs to add to the P132.59 million in stockpiles and standby funds of the DSWD Field Office 5 – Bicol Region for those affected by the volcano’s heightened activity.

The DSWD FO 5 has 111,164 boxes of FFPs, 16,580 RTEF boxes, and 15,746 NFIs prepositioned in warehouses across the region.

Dumlao said the DSWD Field Office 5 distributed RTEF boxes to evacuees in Tabaco City and Malilipot, Albay as early as January 6 to ensure that they have enough food while staying in evacuation centers.

She said the support of volunteers is crucial as the government prepares for a potential increase in the essential needs of evacuees.

“Ang FFPs ang isa sa mga unang lifeline support para sa mga apektado ng sakuna, kaya napakahalaga ng oras at effort na ibinibigay ng ating mga volunteers,” Dumlao said.

(The FFPs are one of the lifelines for those affected by disasters, that is why we value the time and effort that our volunteers put in.)

Further clarifications and concerns may be directed to the NRLMB via email at volunteer.nrlmb@dswd.gov.ph, 09934955458 or 09691795117. — JMA, GMA Integrated News