The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has deployed members of its executive committee to oversee the relief operations for families affected by the phreatic and magmatic eruption of Taal Volcano in CALABARZON Region.

On January 15, DSWD Undersecretary Camilo Gudmalin and Assistant Secretary Joseline Niwane visited evacuation centers in Balayan, Batangas and provided 1,338 family food packs (FFPs) to affected families and 150 pieces of hamburger to children staying in the evacuation center in Sampaga Elementary School.

Likewise, DSWD Undersecretary Danilo Pamonag and Assistant Secretary Rodolfo Encabo checked on the evacuees in Sto. Tomas, Batangas and distributed 207 FFPs in the City Evacuation Center of Sto. Tomas, 121 FFPs in Sto. Tomas Primary Elementary School, and 172 FFPs in San Roque Elementary School.

In addition, DSWD Undersecretary Rene Glen Paje went to assist families in Pansin Elementary School, Lucsuhin Ilaya Covered Court, and Amuyong Covered Court, in Alfonso, Cavite, while Undersecretary Mark Allan Jay Yambao and Director Restituto Macuto checked the needs of families affected in Manghinao Elementary School Evacuation Center in Cuenca, Batangas. The McDonalds House of Charity through Assistant Secretary Rhea Peñaflor donated meals for the disaster response duty teams.

On January 16, Assistant Secretary Jose Antonio Hernandez joined Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Senator Bong Go as they visited evacuees in Bauan Technical High School. Asec. Hernandez and Asec. Encabo also met with officials of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Province of Batangas regarding the management of donations and the status of relief distribution to affected communities in Batangas.

The Department, in coordination with the local government units (LGUs) of Tanauan City, Cuenca, and Mataas na Kahoy, Batangas have already conducted Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) to assess the immediate relief and response requirements of the said areas.

DSWD also met with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the plan to set up Mobile Emergency Telecommunications on the ground, and with the World Food Programme (WFP) for the provision of Mobile Storage Units for relief operations.

As of the 6AM, January 22 report of the DSWD Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), there are 39,052 families or 148,987 persons taking temporary shelter in 493 evacuation centers in the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon, while 22,808 families or 88,911 individuals are staying with their relatives and/or friends.

DSWD has already provided a total of P8,925,355.54 worth of food and non-food items to the affected families as resource augmentation to the affected towns.

To ensure the speedy production of family food packs for distribution to the evacuees, the Department is calling for volunteers to help repack relief goods at the National Resource Operation Center (NROC) in Pasay City.

For interested volunteers, they may contact the DSWD-NROC at telephone numbers (02) 8-553-9864/(02) 8-8528081 or through nrlms@dswd.gov.ph, for schedule.

Meanwhile, DSWD is validating a viral post in social media involving one of the social workers of the municipality of Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Through the Field Office CALABARZON, the Department, is already coordinating the matter with the concerned local government and Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO).

The Department, in partnership with the LGUs, will continue to assess the situation of the evacuees for the provision of appropriate assistance and interventions. -30-