The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 5 (DSWD FO V) has provided more than Php20 million worth of humanitarian assistance to El Niño-affected families in the Bicol region.

Since the start of the operation, 29,209 Family Food Packs (FFPs) have been distributed to affected families across the three provinces of Masbate, Albay, and Camarines Sur.

These affected families are mostly rice and corn farmers whose livelihoods have been severely impacted by the intense heat brought by El Niño.

Under the directives of Regional Director Norman Laurio, the Field Office is intensifying its efforts to swiftly dispatch FFPs in the region based on requests from the affected local government units (LGUs).

According to consolidated reports submitted by the affected LGUs to the Field Office, approximately 74,157 families or 353,442 individuals from 866 barangays have been impacted by the dry spell and drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon in the region.

The Department of Agriculture-Bicol reports that a total of 11,252 hectares of land planted with rice, corn, and high-value crops have been affected by the dry spell, resulting in a total production loss of PHP532.8 million.

The Disaster Response Management Division (DRMD) continues to coordinate with other LGUs for the immediate release and distribution of relief supplies in their localities.

The Bicol Field Office currently maintains more than PHP202.5 million worth of stockpiles of relief supplies and standby funds ready for disaster operations.###