DSWD: Over P11 million to assist W. Visayas families affected by El Niño

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Thursday that it has released more than P11 million in aid for families in Western Visayas affected by the El Niño.

According to DSWD Western Visayas Regional Director Carmelo Nochete, the agency used food-for-work and food-for-training programs to disburse the assistance.

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“The assistance was released through the implementation of Food-for-Work and Food-for-Training Programs in several municipalities in Western Visayas during the first quarter of 2024. These are part of the programs offered by DSWD to help the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and families, especially this drought season,” Nochete said.

The DSWD said that 5,460 food packs were given to 5,103 Food-for-Training beneficiaries. In the training, the agency taught them basic emergency and calamity training.

“The training gave them basic knowledge on how to handle evacuation centers during emergencies and calamities and the importance of the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) Reporting on all disaster-related incidents,” Nochete said.

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The agency likewise said that 11,893 family food packs were given to 9,959 Food-for-Work beneficiaries, who worked on cleaning and rehabilitating some roads and canals.

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Nochete added that the agency would “do its best” to help the families affected by the present El Niño phenomenon.

“Responding to El Niño-affected families is a priority of DSWD Field Office-6. Rest assured that we are doing our best to help them thrive amid this phenomenon and usher them toward survival and recovery,” he added.