Legazpi City—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region V clarifies an isolated report published by a national newspaper on Sunday morning about the alleged absence of the Department in the Mayon Eruption relief operations. Currently, the DSWD provided the total cost of assistance of PhP32,833,008.72 to Albay inclusive of food and non-food items and continuously providing technical assistance to local government units (LGUs) in relation to camp coordination and management, protection of the rights of the evacuees and generation and consolidation of its Disaster Response, Operations and Monitoring reports daily.

Just three days after Albay ordered the evacuation of more than 8,000 families within the 7-kilometer extended danger zone, the DSWD Region V was quick to augment 5,500 family food packs (FFPs) upon the request of the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Albay and 500 family food packs were provided as initial augmentation to Legazpi City.

Governor Al Francis Bichara acknowledged the assistance of DSWD to the provincial government of Albay.

To date, DSWD provided a 50,095 family food packs amounting to PhP20,007,818.00 and PhP12,825,190.72 worth of non-food items (malong, assorted toys, dignity kits and blankets) to PLGU Albay and nine cities/municipalities (cities of Ligao, Tabaco, Legazpi together with Guinobatan, Malilipot, Bacacay, Sto. Domingo, Daraga and Camalig) affected by the Mayon Volcano eruption with a total of 22,369 families affected as Mayon alert level 4 is still hoisted.

The affected LGUs should submit to DSWD their disaster report and request letter signed by the local chief executive (LCE) to access the said available augmentation support from the DSWD.

DSWD is prepared to support LGUs with food
Dir. Arnel Garcia said that the agency can provide for 20,000 families for 100 days if this need arises.
DSWD Region V has sufficient stocks at the Regional warehouse and is still expecting the arrival of 26,824 additional family food packs from the DSWD Central Office. It has also requested another 1,000,000 family food packs worth P402,000,000.00 to address the food requirement of the affected families if disaster operations continue for another three months. Non-food items like dignity kits, malong, plastic mats and mosquito nets amounting to Php206,808,768.00are expected to arrive at FO V anytime.

However, LGUs reported to DSWD that the evacuees have sufficient food supply because various donors pour out assistance to evacuation centers. To date, DSWD recorded a total of Php10,240,448.00 coming from non-government organizations (NGOs).
Meanwhile, other national government agencies (NGAs) and LGUs also provided assistance amounting to PhP71,673,523.69.

DSWD Cash-for-Work Program
Last Wednesday, DSWD formally inked the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with local chief executives from the cities of Ligao, Tabaco, Legazpi together with Guinobatan, Malilipot, Bacacay, Sto. Domingo, Daraga and Camalig for the Cash-for-Work Program that will provide families with cash assistance in exchange for community works while inside the evacuation centers. The DSWD will prioritize families inside evacuation centers in its Cash-For-Work with a budget amounting to 61,973,000.00.

The Mother Proposal for the said program has been forwarded to Usec. Emmanuel A. Leyco, OIC-DSWD Central Office last Feb. 1, 2018.

While the DSWD Region V is expected to receive the submission of the LGU’s Project Proposals and Sangguniang Bayan (SB) resolution as part of the program’s documentary requirements.

DSWD will immediately download the funds to LGUs once they complete the documentary requirements.
Augmentation to camp management in Guinobatan, Albay

Similarly, Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Sec. Francis Tolentino from the Office of the Presidential Coordinator for Mayon Operations has ordered DSWD to act as co- Camp Managers of Guinobatan. 48 additional DSWD personnel will be deployed in 20 evacuation centers to augment in the management of evacuation centers starting tomorrow.

The DSWD Region V visited the evacuation centers in Guinobatan last Friday checking the actual situations of the displaced families. DSWD will also conduct psychosocial processing for the evacuees together with DOH as the lead agency.
Other response efforts

Dir. Arnel Garcia of DSWD Region V as the Vice-Chair for Response regularly presides Response Cluster Meeting to cull out important issues and concerns of the evacuees.

DSWD continuously to monitor, validate and assess of evacuation centers to ensure that the needs of IDPs are met and are compliant to zero sexual and gender-based violence environment.

Moreover, there are additional members of the Quick Response Team (QRT) in the Regional Office to augment in the monitoring. The QRT at the Regional Office will report in two shifts: 8:00am-4:00 pm, 3:00pm-11: 00 pm, to generate and validate disaster reports from different affected areas of Mayon eruption.

The QRT members will also provide technical assistance to LGUs specifically the camp managers, local social welfare and development offices (LSWDOs) and local disaster risk reduction and management offices (LDRRMOs) in the protection of the rights of the the evacuees.

DSWD field workers are also checking the relief distribution of DSWD food packs in the evacuation centers. DSWD also pre-positioned two tents at BRTTH for the possible influx of patients

The Emergency Telecom Equipment is on standby in case stable data or network connection and communications lines are cut in Albay.