DSWD: P70 million worth of aid given to calamity-hit families

FILE PHOTO: This photo shows piled boxes of relief items from the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) and a woman helping in the repacking of goods. The DSWD said more than P70 million worth of assistance was distributed to families affected by heavy rains and floods in recent days due to Typhoon Carina and the strong southwest monsoon. INQUIRER / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said more than P70 million worth of assistance was distributed to families affected by heavy rains and floods in recent days due to Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi) and the strong southwest monsoon.

DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group Irene Dumlao said the aid given to distressed families included food packs, family kits, hygiene kits, laminated sacks, and kitchen kits, among other relief items.

She added that cash assistance under the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program was also distributed to affected families.

“Apart from the food and non-food items, some 20,000 individuals from CALABARZON and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) received financial assistance, based on the assessment of our social workers,” Dumlao said in a statement Friday, July 26.

READ: DBM: P11B available for relief efforts in Typhoon Carina aftermath

According to the Department of Budget and Management, around P11 billion is still available in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund that can be used for relief efforts.

“Our government is prepared. We are ready to support all operations for disaster rescue and relief with the necessary budget. Identified frontline government agencies may mobilize their Quick Response Fund (QRF) allocated in their respective budgets,” said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Wednesday, July 24.

QRF is a standby fund that identified frontline agencies can immediately utilize to help people affected by calamities. The DSWD, one of the agencies with QRF under the 2024 General Appropriations Act, is granted a P1.75 billion fund.

READ: Carina floods leave PH capital in state of calamity

According to a situational report released by National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Friday, more than 1,300,000 people or around 299,000 families bore the brunt of Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon, locally termed habagat.

The boosted southwest monsoon brought incessant rains to many parts of the country, triggering heavy flooding and landslides.