Legazpi City— DSWD Region V is ready to provide relief augmentation to local government units (LGUs) that will be affected by Typhoon Ompong which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) yesterday.

Signal No. 1 is now raised in five provinces (except for Masbate) in Bicol based on the 5 am weather bulletin of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

“We are ready to provide additional aid to the affected LGUs as soon as we receive their disaster report and letter request,” DSWD Regional Dir. Arnel Garcia added.

The available standby funds at the DSWD Region V amounts to Php3,229,182.32 that can be used anytime a disaster hits the region

Currently, the warehouse stock of DSWD Region V which is located in Legazpi City contains the following items: 11,360 family food packs (FFPs), 376 tents, 9,066 sleeping kits, 623 dignity kits, 1,998 family kits, 2,297 hygiene kits, 115,296 malong, 327 laminated sacks and 46,350 blankets.

A DSWD FFP contains six (6) kilos of rice, four (4) tin cans of corned beef, four (4) tin cans of sardines and six (6) packs of energy drink or coffee sufficient for five members of a family good for two days.

The LGUs also provide relief supplies to affected families but the packaging and content may vary.

The DSWD provided a total of 21,837 FFPs and 32,600 malong which were prepositioned to all provinces in Bicol except for Masbate.

Emergency Management Team (EMT) activated
DSWD activated its Emergency Management Team (EMT) in each province yesterday that will coordinate and monitor the humanitarian relief assistance to affected areas.

The teams are closely working with the LGUs through the Provincial or Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (P/MDRRMO) to gather disaster reports and updates.

Also, the EMT at the Regional Office has started its duty today to consolidate disaster reports coming from LGUs that will serve as the basis if the affected LGU needs an augmentation from DSWD.

As of the writing, there are no evacuees recorded. Based on the DSWD Disaster Report, there are 157 stranded individuals at Tabaco and Pioduran ports in Albay province while there are 30 strandees at Pasacao Port in Camarines Sur. There are also 458 stranded passengers in Sorsogon (Pilar and Matnog ports).

Selling of relief goods prohibited
“We do not tolerate the selling and buying of the Department’s relief goods. Kindly report to our DSWD staff deployed at the city or municipal hall if they encountered this,” Dir. Garcia said.

Those who commit any of the prohibited acts face a fine ranging from P50,000 – P500,000 or imprisonment of six years up to 12 years
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Section 19 of RA10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 prohibits the selling of relief goods, equipment, or other aid commodities intended for distribution to disaster victims. It also prohibits buying, either for consumption or resale, of relief supplies both from disaster relief agencies and from the recipient disaster-affected persons.