The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Field Office (FO) in the Cagayan Valley, assures the local government unit (LGU) of Itbayat of immediate assistance to help address the needs of families and individuals affected by the 5.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the town early this morning.

In Itbayat, the FO has 200 family food packs ready for immediate distribution to the affected families.

These are on top of the food supplies equating to 3,600 family food packs that are in Basco, Batanes which can be transported to Itbayat. 

The FO also has P700,000 protective services funds for requirements other than relief supplies.

Likewise, the Field Office has available stockpiles of 29,132 family food packs and food and non-foods items worth P349,602 that can be used as additional resources.

As of press time, additional family food packs are ready for airlifting to Itbayat using C290 planes in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

Financial assistance to bereaved families is also being facilitated by the Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) team in Batanes.

The FO will also deploy six social workers to Batanes to provide psychosocial intervention to the affected families.

Meanwhile, the DSWD-National Logistics and Resources Management Bureau (NLRMB), which operates the main disaster hub of the Department, has 1,000 tents and sleeping kits  ready for distribution to the affected families.

The FO’s SWAD team in Batanes is closely coordinating with the Provincial and Municipal Social Welfare and Development Offices to determine other assistance that can be extended. Team members are also on standby to assist families that maybe airlifted to Tuguegarao.

Following the directive of President Duterte, DSWD directly distributes relief supplies to disaster-affected families, in coordination with affected LGUs, to ensure quick response in times of calamities. 

Furthermore, DSWD uses SWAD offices, centers, and institutions, as storage facilities for prepositioned goods.  -30-