Displaced families of the Alert Level 5 fire in Barangay Addition Hills line up to receive relief items from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the office of the Congressional District of Mandaluyong City.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office (FO) in the National Capital Region (NCR), started yesterday the relief distribution for the victims of the Alert Level 5 fire which destroyed some 650 houses and displaced 1,899 families in Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City.

The operation was headed by the Disaster Response Section of the FO-NCR in coordination with the city government of Mandaluyong.

To date, the affected families received P4,094,030.00 worth of assistance from the DSWD-NCR, which includes: 3,000 Family Food Packs (FFPs), 12,000 pieces of malong, 6,000 pieces of plastic mats, 15,000 bottled water, and 100 pieces of used clothing.

Prior to the relief distribution, the Mandaluyong Social Welfare and Development Office already gave initial relief items to the fire survivors and continuously provided hot meals.

The DSWD will also distribute financial assistance worth P3,500 to the affected families after the damage assessment on the area has been finalized and validated.

Aside from the financial aid and relief goods, the Department also started the registration for affected residents who are interested to join the DSWD Cash-for-Work (CFW) Program.

For 15 days, one member from each of the families devastated by the fire will be allowed to perform community work through the CFW program and will be compensated P360 per day.

Likewise, DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo reiterated her call to private institutions and individuals to join the government in providing assistance to the affected families.

“We are saddened that the fire incident took place in the season where everyone should be preparing for the Christmas and New Year. However, we hope that this unfortunate incident will bring more Bayanihan spirit between the public and private sector, especially from members of non-government institutions and the business sector. Let us work hand-in-hand to look into more ways on how to assist the displaced families and to help them ease their stress and ensure the fast normalization of their lives,” said Sec. Taguiwalo. ###