By Jennifer P. Rendon
The Department of Social Welfare and Development – Region 6 (DSWD-6) has already released P32.5 million worth of assistance to families badly affected by Tropical Storm Paeng in the past few days.
As of Nov 3, 2022, the agency has provided 53,269 family food packs for Paeng-affected families.
Cash assistance was also given to those with damaged houses.
Atty. Carmelo Nochete, DSWD-6 regional director, reported this development in an expanded ManCom (Management Committee) meeting with Undersecretary Vilma Cabrera, Assistant Secretary Diana Rose Cajipe of Disaster Response Management Group (DEMG), Asec. Ma. Evelyn Macapobre for Visayas Affairs, and OIC Director Rey Martija of Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB).
The DSWD executives were in the region on Thursday to check the response operations.
Nochete said that majority of the P32.5 million assistance given was in the form of family food packs.
On the other hand, non-food Items such as hygiene, sleeping and kitchen kits, was pegged at P1.04 million.
Cash assistance for those with casualties, totally and partially damaged houses, and those who got stranded in ports has reached P3.2 million.
“We continue in our response operations to be able to provide for the rest of the affected families,” Nochete said.
Meanwhile, assistance coming from the local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) has reached P6.5 million.
The municipality of Panit-an in Capiz was provided the highest amount of assistance at P1.2 million.
Hamtic town in Antique received P906,100; Passi City, Iloilo with P528,352; Caluya, Antique with P487,716; Maayon, Capiz with P412,500; Sara, Iloilo with P284,500; President Roxas, Capiz with P282,695; Bago City, Negros Occidental with P203,450; Pavia, Iloilo with P155,650; Valderrama, Antique with P123,223; Dumalag, Capiz with P117,000; Lambunao, Iloilo with P101,530; Binalbagan, Negros Occidental with P88,750; and Hinobaan, Negros Occidental, P79,360.
DSWD-6 records showed that 10,208 families (38.665 persons) are still in 546 evacuation centers all over the region.
More families, or around 24,043, took shelter outside of evacuation centers.
Other families remained in their respective houses.
