By Leilani S. Junio
MANILA, (PNA)–The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Friday it has already distributed about 180,000 prepositioned food packs to local government units (LGUs) that were expected to be affected by super typhoon “Ruby.”
According to DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman, the prepositioned goods, consisting of rice, were already turned over to the would-be affected LGUs as part of the department’s new measure to ensure that immediate augmentation of relief goods will happen when the need arises as a way to prevent delay in the delivery of relief goods.
Soliman said that continuous repacking was also being done in the identified safer areas of the regions where the “super typhoon Ruby” is expected to pass.
DSWD is taking precautionary measures that such repacked foods will not be destroyed by the floods or heavy rains or even possible storm surges as one of the lessons learned from ‘Yolanda’ last year.
She assured also that the department followed the order of President Benigno S. Aquino III to ensure that the relief goods would be in a safer places and secured when needed to be distributed to the possible evacuees or those who will leave their homes to be safe.
Soliman also said that the goods in return would be distributed to the possible evacuees in the safe evacuation centers identified by the LGUs.
She clarified that the said food packs were just “additional” to the separate resources prepared by the LGUs consisting of canned goods to their would-be affected constituents as the leaders of the LGUs were considered to be the first responder during the occurrence of disaster.
Meanwhile, she said that additional repacking of relief goods would be done in Manila to augment the relief resources of Mindoro provinces as these provinces in MIMAROPA were also included in the areas that were predicted to be hit by “Ruby”.
She also said that they were continuously coordinating with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and LGUs in ensuring that the needed relief assistance were properly channeled to the safe evacuation sites when needed.
Moreover, the regional field offices of DSWD Quick Response Teams (QRTs) were also activated in ensuring that they are alert on monitoring the situation and the relief assistance as well.(PNA)