With Tropical Depression Bising entering  the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) guarantees that enough resources are available in the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) and in its field offices (FOs) for the possible impact of this latest weather disturbance to affect the country.

Currently, the Department maintains a total of 481,824 Family Food Packs (FFPs) in warehouses strategically located in all regions of the country and stockpile and standby funds amounting to ₱2,309,796,325.93.

Moreover, the DSWD-Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DReAMB) also remains in blue alert for the possible onslaught of ‘Bising’ in the eastern regions of the Philippines.

DSWD Sec. Judy M. Taguiwalo also called on the public to remain vigilant and to maintain their coordination with their local government units (LGUs) for instructions on their possible evacuation and preparations for ‘Bising.’

“Nananawagan po kami sa publiko na maging handa at panatilihin ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa kanilang lokal na pamahalaan upang maiwasan ang sakuna na maidudulot ni ‘Bising.’ Makakaasa po kayo na kami po sa ahensya ay handang magpamahagi ng tulong sa mga maaapektuhan ng bagyo (We call on the public to prepare for the possible impacts of ‘Bising’ and to continue their coordination with their local governments. Rest assured that the agency is ready to provide assistance to those who will be affected by the inclement weather),” said the Secretary.

Ongoing disaster ops in CARAGA

In another related report, some 4,227 families or 20,213 individuals are still taking refuge in 127 evacuation centers in CARAGA region due to inclement weather and flooding caused by the tail-end of a cold front.

Staff members from the DSWD-FO CARAGA are continuously validating the number of totally and partially damaged houses in the region to determine the amount needed by the affected families to reconstruct their shelters.

To date, a total of 586  houses in the region were damaged, of which, 244 were partially damaged, while 342 were totally destroyed.

Aside from damage assessment, the Department also deployed a team from DReAMB over the weekend to conduct monitoring visits to check the situation of displaced families in evacuation centers and to provide technical assistance for response operations in CARAGA.

Currently, the DSWD has already provided P4,134,955.00 worth of relief assistance to affected families in the region, while LGUs provided a total of P4,464,745.00 worth of assistance and non-government organizations gave P109,750.00.

“We will continue to monitor the situation of families in evacuation centers in CARAGA and we hope to provide assistance and appropriate interventions for their immediate recovery after our validation and assessment on the amount of damage brought by the flooding in the region,” assured Sec. Taguiwalo. ###