Left photo: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo with the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) who are watching over the safety of Marawi siege-affected families currently staying in evacuation centers in Iligan.
Right photo: Sec. Taguiwalo checks on the condition of families in the evacuation center in Buru-un, Iligan City.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo flew to the Department’s Field Office (FO) in Region X in Cagayan de Oro City this morning to check on the status of relief operations for families affected by the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur who evacuated to nearby provinces.

Upon arriving, Sec. Taguiwalo met with Iligan City Mayor Celso G. Regencia together with DSWD-FO X Regional Director Nestor B. Ramos to discuss the provision of assistance to displaced families taking refuge in evacuation centers (ECs), staying with their relatives and friends, and those who were left stranded in Marawi City.

The Secretary also visited the evacuation center set up in Brgy. Maria Cristina Gym and in Buru-un, Iligan to check on the condition of evacuees and to lead in the distribution of non-food items such as basins, cooking pots, and water buckets. The command center of all government agencies operating on the ongoing armed conflict is located in the city.

As of 6AM today, the DSWD-Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DReAMB) reported that a total of 14,313 families or 71,115 persons have been affected by the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi. Of this number, 2,261 families or 10,809 individuals are staying in 20 ECs scattered in Iligan City, Bacolod, Baloi, and Panto Ragat in Lanao Del Norte; and in Saguiaran and Kapai in Lanao Del Sur.

Meanwhile, a bigger number of affected families, totaling to 12,052 or 60,306 persons are staying outside evacuation centers with their relatives and friends.

“Patuloy po ang pagbibigay natin ng tulong sa ating mga kababayang naapektuhan ng armadong tunggalian. Mahigpit pa rin po ang koordinasyon ng field offices ng DSWD sa mga local government units (LGUs), sa DSWD Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), at sa iba pang ahensya ng pamahalaan na tumutugon sa krisis na ito. Ang ating prayoridad ay mabigyan ng tulong ang lahat ng apektado (Our relief operation is still ongoing for families affected by the armed conflict. Our field offices are still coordinating closely with the LGUs, DSWD ARMM, and other government agencies which are responding to this crisis. Our priority is to extend assistance to all affected families),” Sec. Taguiwalo said.

To date, the Department has provided a total of P30,228,710 worth of assistance in the form of family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items to the affected families.

Enough relief assistance

In an interview yesterday for a primetime news program, DSWD-DReAMB Officer-in-Charge (OIC)-Director Felino O. Castro assured that the Department has enough assistance for families affected by the armed conflict.

“The DSWD Central office, through the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) and Field Office VII, and CARAGA has already augmented food packs and non-food items to the affected regions. This is on top of the already prepositioned goods in Field Offices X and XII. Rest assured that we have enough available relief assistance for now, but we are still continuously monitoring the action and operations in Region X, ARMM, and Region XII to immediately respond to any additional needs that may arise. But we are always a step ahead,” Dir. Castro said.

If additional needs arise, the Director said that nearby DSWD field offices are always ready to augment resources. “Our nearby field offices are also ready to augment. DSWD FO X is being watched over by field office CARAGA, while FO XII is being watched over by our field office in Region IX,” he added.

“Sa mga kababayan po natin na naapektuhan ng conflict sa Marawi, lalo na iyong outside evacuation centers, makipag-uganayan po tayo sa ating LGUs through our local social welfare and development offices (LSWDOs) para mabigyan kayo  ng tulong. Sa mga nais naman pong tumulong, they can coordinate with our regional command and coordination center in Iligan City, led by DSWD ARMM (We are calling on our fellow citizens affected by the armed conflict, especially those outside evacuation centers, to coordinate closely with the LGUs through the LSWDOs for the provision of assistance. To those who want to extend help, they can coordinate with our regional command and coordination center in Iligan City, led by DSWD ARMM) We need close coordination because our response in this crisis is different from a natural hazard-caused disaster, so the security is tight. Coordination is key here,” Dir. Castro said.

Staff deployment

In relation to the on- going disaster operation in Mindanao due to the ongoing armed conflict, the DSWD-DREAMB is currently organizing Quick Response Teams (QRTs) for possible deployment to Iligan City to provide technical assistance on camp coordination, camp management, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) protection concerns.

The Department has earlier deployed staff from the Central Office and nearby field offices to the affected regions to help in the provision of assistance to the evacuees.###