The Department of Social Welfare  and Development (DSWD)  is calling for volunteers to repack relief goods at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Chapel Road, Pasay City. The Department will be needing 500 volunteers a day from 8 AM to 8PM to repack goods to be distributed to families affected by Marawi siege, Tropical Depression ‘Urduja,’ and now Tropical Storm ‘Vinta.’

Interested groups and individuals may coordinate with Ms. Sophia Mendiola for scheduling at landline number 553-9864 and at mobile number  09307669595.

Meanwhile, the DSWD, through its Field Offices (FOs), is monitoring the condition of families in Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and CARAGA who evacuated to safety due to Tropical Storm ‘Vinta.’

As of 3 PM today, the DSWD-Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DReAMB) reported that the tropical storm has displaced a total of 8,246 families or 34,871 individuals in 131 barangays in Regions X, XI, and CARAGA.

Of this number, 7,859 families or 32,858 persons are currently staying inside 151 evacuation centers, the bulk of which is located in the CARAGA Region in the provinces of Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur. Some 35 families or 161 persons have evacuated to their relatives’ and friends’ houses.

The number of affected families is expected to increase, as evacuation is still ongoing in the affected regions.

In Misamis Oriental Province, the provincial government is implementing the preventive evacuation of residents living in flood-prone villages in the towns of Jasaan, Lagonlong, Claveria, and Binuangan. There is also an ongoing evacuation of families living near Cagayan de Oro River and other low-lying and identified flood-prone areas.

DSWD field offices in the affected regions have activated their quick response teams and are coordinating closely with concerned Local Government Units (LGUs) to immediately respond to the needs of the affected families.

The Iligan Operation Center in Region X has also issued a directive to all of its evacuation center managers to monitor the situation of evacuation centers that are occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs) of the Marawi siege.

Repacking of relief goods in DSWD-FO X is also on-going to increase the current number of available Family Food Packs (FFPs) in the office, which is currently at 1,100.

The DSWD Central Office (CO), FOs, and the NROC have total stockpiles and standby funds amounting to P735,066,659.89.

The Department has 341,741 food packs amounting to P284,346,372.95 and available Food and Non-food Items (FNIs) amounting to P409,497,274.49. It also has P209,518,242.14 standby funds in the CO and FOs. Of the said amount, P161,688,131.43 is the available Quick Response Fund.

Continuous assistance to ‘Urduja’-affected families

As the DSWD responds to the needs of families who evacuated due to ‘Vinta,’ it continues to provide assistance to those who have been affected by ‘Urduja.’

As per latest report, 705 families or 2,891 persons are still staying in 31 evacuation centers in Regions V, VIII, and MIMAROPA; while 198 families or 904 individuals are still staying with their families and friends.

The number of damaged houses by the tropical depression has now increased to 2,918, while partially damaged houses number to 9,123.

To date, a total of P65,167,920.98 worth of assistance has been provided to affected families and individuals; of which, P63,709,545.98 came from DSWD, while P1,458,375.00 was provided by the LGUs. ###