The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to provide augmentation support and relief assistance to families affected by the twin earthquakes that hit the province of Batanes.

Based on the latest report from the DSWD Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB), the Department, through its Field Office (FO) in Region II, has already transported 158 family food packs (FFPs) to Itbayat, Batanes. Additional 1,312 FFPs, 125 family tents, 400 sleeping kits, and 60 folding beds are now in Port Irene, Sta. Ana, Cagayan awaiting to be  delivered to Itbayat via the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel.

Also, the DSWD National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB), which manages the main disaster hub of the Department, has already sent 6,400 packs of 3 kg vacuum-packed rice and 50 folding beds to FO II in Tuguegarao City.

Meanwhile, some 163 pensioners in Itbayat also received their stipend for the first semester on July 30.

Likewise, the Department is set to extend Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) amounting to P30,000 per family with totally-damaged houses, and P10,000 per family with partially-damaged houses. DSWD FO II, in coordination with the Provincial/Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office  (P/MSWDO), is already conducting interview and house-to-house validation to hasten the assessment of eligible families who will receive monetary aid.

Aside from financial assistance, a team of social workers composed of staff from DSWD  DRMB, FO II, and Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Team in Batanes are now providing Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) to the affected families in the public market where the evacuation site in Brgy. San Rafael, Itbayat is situated.

CISD is a process that allows survivors of natural and human-induced calamities as well as traumatic incidents to process and reflect on what has happened to them. It helps them to cope with their traumatic experiences by talking about the emotions they are going through.

DSWD Central Office is consistently coordinating with the affected FO and other concerned government agencies for provision of emergency equipment and deployment of Quick Response Team (QRT) members, if needed. -30-