The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and concerned local government units (LGUs) continue to conduct relief operations in several areas in Mindanao and Visayas  Regions that are still experiencing flash floods brought by incessant heavy rains.

DSWD- Field Office (FO) XI reported that it provided family food packs to families staying in evacuation centers and conducted an ocular inspection of the affected areas. The provincial government of Compostela Valley, one of the provinces badly hit by flooding in Region XI, also distributed relief goods and non-food items to the evacuees and established a community kitchen that provided hot meals.

DSWD-FO XII, likewise, assisted the local government units of Alabel, South Cotabato and Pikit and Kabacan in North Cotabato in extending aid to the evacuees.

Meanwhile, in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Office of Maguindanao Governor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu extended 2,920 food packs to the affected families in the municipality of Pagalungan.

ARMM- Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team (HEART) headed by ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman provided 1,600 family food packs, while the Office of Congressman Sajid Mangudadatu gave 1,033 packs to the affected families. The Office of Civil Defense-ARMM extended 100 pieces of laminated sacks as temporary shelter for those whose houses were damaged by the flood.

DSWD-ARMM established a community kitchen in Barangays Bulit and Pagagawan in the Municipality of Datu Montawal, Maguindanao and provided 1,500 family food packs to the evacuees.

According to the 2AM report of the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations and Monitoring Center (DROMIC), the continuous heavy downpour and flooding incidents have affected a total of 158,134 families or 765,475 individuals in 881 barangays in Regions  VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, CARAGA, ARMM, and the Negros Island Region (NIR).  Some 7,891 families or 36,808 persons are still currently staying in 138 evacuation centers set up by the LGUs and which are mostly located in CARAGA and Region XI.

To date, a total of P17,269,581 worth of assistance has been provided to affected families from the combined resources of  the DSWD which has provided P12,714,955 and the LGUs with P4,554,627. ###