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Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian attends the situation briefing in Cebu City presided by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the situation of typhoon Tino-affected families in Cebu province. The Chief Executive met with his Cabinet secretaries, local chief executives of Cebu province, and disaster response teams to assess the extent of the damage and discuss the ways forward in terms of response and recovery efforts. Also present in the November 7 (Friday) briefing were Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon, and Cebu 5th District Rep. Vincent Franco Frasco. (KB) DSWD will fast-track cash aid distribution to Tino-affected families in Cebu – Sec Gatchalian Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured the families affected by Typhoon Tino that the agency will expedite the release of financial assistance as instructed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the situation briefing in Cebu City on Friday (November 7). During the briefing, President Marcos instructed the DSWD to accelerate the payout of cash assistance to families especially whose homes were damaged by the typhoon. “Nabanggit din ng ating Pangulo, naatasan nya ang DSWD na pabilisin na rin yung payout ng mga financial assistance—Php5,000 para sa mga partially damaged [houses], Php10,000 sa mga totally damaged,” Secretary Gatchalian told reporters in an ambush interview after the situation briefing. Secretary Gatchalian told the media that the DSWD remains in full coordination with local government units (LGUs) in ensuring the timely delivery of the much-needed aid in the form of family food packs (FFPs) as well as non-food items (NFIs). “Inaantay na lang natin yung mga listahan mula sa ating mga LGUs,” the DSWD chief said. Secretary Gatchalian said the additional FFPs will be dispatched to affected LGUs within the next day, citing the DSWD’s sufficient supply of relief goods stored in its major hub in Mandaue City and other strategic locations across the country. “Kung matatandaan ninyo, ang aming gampanin ay suportahan ang ating mga local government units sa kanilang mga pangangailangan. Kasi ang LGUs, kaunti lang talaga ang resources nyan. Pero alam din natin na limitado ang kanilang kapasidad. So yung mga family food packs (FFPs) natin, ino-augment natin yon,” the DSWD chief explained to reporters. “Sabi ko nga sa ating Pangulo, based on the data that we have, ang tantsa ko, madi-dispatch na namin sa mga LGUs yung mga karagdagang FFPs by the end of tomorrow night. Kung madadagdagan yon, huwag po tayong mag-alala dahil mayroon pa rin kaming ready na mga supply,” Secretary Gatchalian said. Secretary Gatchalian said the DSWD is always prepared for disasters and all its frontline offices, including the various Field Offices in the regions, are always ready to conduct relief operations. “Hindi kami nag-aantay sa bagyo bago maghanda. Lagi nyong naririnig sa amin na sa utos at direktiba ng ating Pangulo, 365 days a year, tuloy-tuloy yung repacking natin,” Secretary Gatchalian said, noting that the DSWD currently maintains 1.9 million food packs nationwide. Before the briefing, President Marcos and Secretary Gatchalian visited the Tiltilon Elementary School Evacuation Center in Liloan to check on the condition of evacuees. The Chief Executive and Secretary Gatchalian likewise oversaw the distribution of FFPs, water filtration kits, and financial aid under the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. (YADP)
