MANILA, Philippines?The distribution of relief goods to typhoon victims is done upon the request of local government units, a system that stems from the devolution of the social services function under the law, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said Monday.

Cabral and her deputies explained the process during an impromptu dialogue with militant urban poor and labor leaders who picketed the main office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Quezon City.

Members of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Anakpawis and Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) denounced the alleged hoarding of imported relief goods as reported by a certain Ella Rose in her blog last week.

In a statement issued on Oct. 23, Cabral said: ?The relief goods are released to our regional offices or directly to evacuation centers or to the local government units as they are needed and requested by these entities. They are delivered in trucks, many of which were lent to us by private companies or by military vehicles. Some of the goods are shipped by air from nearby Villamor Airbase.?

The statement also said that while the DSWD ?warehouses are indeed full ? there are no rotting relief goods in our warehouses as we do not keep perishables there and the relief goods that are there, save for the donated old clothes, are quite new since they have been either recently purchased by us or have been just donated.?

Social Welfare Undersecretary Celia Yangco explained the process during the dialogue with the protesters yesterday.

The DSWD regional offices and local government units survey the affected families and send in their request for relief goods, Yangco said. Based on the requests, the DSWD releases the relief goods stored at its National Relief Operations Center warehouse in Pasay City.

?The warehouse just releases the relief goods depending on the request,? Cabral said.

Apparently, the system was being implemented to ensure that the relief goods were given to the real beneficiaries.

Many of those who are complaining are not even typhoon victims, Yangco said in Filipino.

In an interview with the INQUIRER on Monday, Cabral said the relief goods were also for the ?recovery? of the victims, as some had started rebuilding their lives.