Some P9.4-million worth of food packs and other non-food items are now on their way to Guinobatan, Albay via the Ligtas Mayon Caravan organized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other member-agencies of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

A fleet of 36 trucks from DSWD and the military left DSWD-National Resource Operations Center (NROC) past noon today. It is expected to arrive in Guinobatan early morning of Sunday, October 12, where it will be unloaded.

The unloading of goods will be witnessed by DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano- Soliman, Interior and Local Government Sec. Mar Roxas, Health Sec. Enrique Ona, Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin, and Sec. Edwin Lacierda.

Trucks carrying water containers, hygiene and family kits, and essential medicines from the Department of Health are among the convoy.

Sec. Soliman said that the caravan reflects the convergence of NDRRMC member-agencies in responding to the needs of the families who fled their homes due to the imminent eruption of Mayon Volcano, and are now staying in evacuation centers.

It provides augmentation support to the resources of the provincial government of Albay for the evacuees.

Around 12,700 families or 55,000 individuals are now staying in 44 evacuation centers around the province.***SMS