MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has extended over P9.6 million of assistance to residents of communities displaced by heavy rains and flooding due to a series of low-pressure areas (LPAs) that hit the country in January.
DSWD Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez on Monday said that some 54,800 families were affected by the LPAs, with about 2,339 individuals or 577 families still in evacuation centers in Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, the Soccsksargen and Caraga regions.
“Nakpagpamahagi na tayo ng higit P9.6 million worth ng tulong sa mga apektadong lokal na pamahalaan at siyempre, doon sa mga affected nating mamamayan,” he said in Laging Handa public briefing.
(We have already distributed more than P9.6 million worth of aid to affected local government units and individuals.)
For the affected individuals whose houses were damaged by the LPAs, financial assistance was made available to them in accordance with the assessment of the department’s social workers.
Lopez, meanwhile, assured the public that the DSWD has sufficient funds to assist the Filipino communities should calamities or other disasters hit the country.(MJ Soriano, INQUIRER.net trainee)