DSWD: P464k initial aid given to victims of Pampanga building collapse

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said it has extended an initial P464,000 in humanitarian aid to the survivors and relatives of those who died after a building collapsed in Angeles City, Pampanga earlier this week.

In a statement, the DSWD said this was upon the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure that the victims are properly and adequately assisted.

“Ang utos po ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian ay agad na i-profile ‘yun pong mga apektado na na-rescue, ibigay ‘yung kaukulang assistance kagaya ng financial aid. Para naman po dun sa mga namatayan, magbigay po tayo ng burial assistance,” said Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG).

(The directive of Secretary Rex Gatchalian is to immediately profile those who were rescued and immediately provide assistance such as financial aid. For those who lost their loved ones, we will extend burial assistance.)

The humanitarian aid was coursed through the DSWD’s Field Office 3 – Central Luzon.

On Sunday, a building under construction collapsed in Barangay Balibago in Angeles City, trapping mostly construction workers. The death toll has reached four as of Monday.

On Monday evening, search and rescue operations were terminated with the decision to shift to search and retrieval efforts.

Dumlao, who is also the DSWD’s spokesperson, expressed the agency’s sympathies to the families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy.

She assured them of Gatchalian’s commitment to provide them with appropriate aid.

The initial assistance included family food packs (FFPs), non-food items (NFIs), ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, financial aid, and psychosocial interventions.

“Napakahalaga na matulungan itong mga kababayan natin na naapektuhan dahil alam naman natin na nawalan sila ng trabaho, nawalan sila ng pagkakakitaan. So DSWD comes in to provide the appropriate interventions, including, of course, the psychosocial interventions and ‘yun pong iba pang mga tulong,” Dumlao said.

(It is crucial to help our countrymen affected by this, because we know they lost their jobs, they lost livelihoods. So DSWD comes in to provide the appropriate interventions, including of cousre, the psychological interventions and other aid.)

The DSWD also provided transportation assistance to nine workers who wished to return to their provinces in the Bicol region.

“Itong mga indibidwal na ito ay mga nawalan ng trabaho, babalik sa kanilang pong mga probinsya. Mahalaga na matukoy natin kung ano ‘yung kanilang maaaring gawin sa kani-kanilang mga probinsya, maaaring mga livelihood activities iyan o iba pang mga pagkakakitaan,” Dumlao said.

(These individuals who lost their jobs, they will return to their provinces. It is important to determine what livelihood activities they can do in their provinces.)

Once the workers return to their place of origin, the DSWD will provide livelihood support under its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

The DSWD will continue to coordinate with the Angeles City local government unit (LGU) and concerned government agencies to ensure that all survivors and affected families will receive all the necessary support. — JMA, GMA News