A month since Typhoon Ferdie struck Batanes and relief items were flown in to respond to the needs of the affected families, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has now started the distribution of the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) to some 2,879 affected families whose homes were totally or partially damaged.

The total ESA assistance is worth P40,010,000.

ESA is the provision of emergency “self-build” shelter assistance through limited financial assistance in order to augment the resources of families affected by disasters. In particular, it enables them to purchase shelter materials required in constructing or repairing their damaged houses as a result of disasters.

Families whose houses were partially damaged are given P10,000 while those whose houses sustained much damage or were totally ravaged  are provided with P30,000.

Likewise, on Oct 3, the Cash-for-Work (CFW) Program in The province was launched aimed at helping affected families rebuild their damaged houses. The CFW involves community works covering 4,549 affected families with a funding of P15,352,875.00.

DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo was pleased that the housing  aid and financial assistance through the CFW were promptly given to the beneficiaries saying that they now have the resources to start anew.

“What we want is to ensure that the failures and weaknesses in the DSWD’s processes of delivering aid and assistance in the past will not be repeated. Emergency assistance is precisely time-bound: people who need it should not be kept waiting. We need to provide prompt and immediate assistance to Filipinos in need because it’s the DSWD’s responsibility to them. The help we provide is so small compared to the enormity of the need our people have for basic social services and emergency assistance. The least we can do is to give what we can as soon as we are able, and no excuses,” she said.#