FILE / PAGASA
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Welfare and Social Development (DSWD) began distributing emergency cash transfer (ECT) payouts to victims of the combined effects of Super typhoon Egay and the southwest monsoon in the Ilocos region.
The ECT is handed out to qualified victims of disasters to support their speedy recovery.
“This is in line with the President’s instruction that no resident who is severely-affected by the typhoon will ever go hungry,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian explained in a statement.
The DSWD however, did not specify how much is allotted for the victims. However, it said that immediate relief came in the form of family food packs.
Family beneficiaries of the ECT are still being reviewed and validated by the DSWD Field Office 1 and Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
Gatchalian first visited Ilocos Norte last July 29, 2023, wherein he promised that emergency cash transfers would follow not long after the government’s initial provisions of family food packs.
Aside from the ECT program, the DSWD chief said there is also the cash-for-work (CFW) that can run for 30 to 45 days and will provide alternative livelihood to affected residents as part of their early recovery and rehabilitation after the calamity.
“Part of the President’s instruction is for the DSWD to enable the early recovery and rehabilitation of affected families and individuals through the provision of emergency cash transfer and cash-for-work, which will start soon,” the Secretary explained. — With research from Juan Miguel Talens, trainee