The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as the Vice Chair for Disaster Response of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), assures the public that a unified government approach will be implemented for the possible occurrence of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake due to movements of the West Valley Fault.

Under the National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP), the Department leads the clusters on Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster, Food and Non-food Items (FNFI) Cluster, and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Protection; and coordinates the efficient and effective delivery of psychosocial and protective services through the Cluster Approach. This strategy groups government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), private organizations, and humanitarian organizations to ensure accountability, as well as coordinated disaster response services.

As the lead in CCCM and IDP protection, the Department, through the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB), guarantees that its personnel and local government unit (LGU) counterparts at the Local Social Welfare and Development Offices (LSWDOs) are sufficiently trained on management of evacuation centers and child and women-friendly spaces. Moreover, DRMB also ensures the provision of psychosocial support and recovery programs such as Cash-for-Work (CFW), Emergency Cash Transfer, and Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA).

Meanwhile, DSWD’s National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB), which manages the main disaster hub, ensures that there are enough goods available for augmentation to LGUs where the four evacuation quadrants are located. These are: Veterans Memorial Medical Center Golf Course (North Quadrant); Villamor Airbase Golf Course (South Quadrant); LRT 2 Santolan Station Depot (East Quadrant); and Intramuros Golf Course (West Quadrant).

Aside from cluster management, the Department also provides technical assistance and resource augmentation (TARA) to LGUs, which are the first line of response during calamities and disasters.

Likewise, DSWD has organized a Quick Response Team (QRT) that will be immediately activated to deliver response actions during emergencies. Part of the QRT is the Rapid Emergency Telecommunications Team (RETT) which is equipped with state-of-the-art emergency telecommunications equipment that can provide on-the-ground emergency telecommunications support for stable communication services before, during, and after the onslaught of any disaster.

DSWD assures the public that it will continue to collaborate with LGUs, private organizations, and other concerned agencies to strengthen its capabilities in conducting disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. -30-