The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VI, in partnership with Local Government Units, has been helping survivors of typhoon Yolanda in Western Visayas since it struck the region on November 8, 2013. In fact, even before typhoon Yolanda made a landfall in Western Visayas, the DSWD has prepositioned a total of 3,000 sacks of rice in the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental.

From November 8 until end of December 2013, the DSWD has already released P154 million worth of relief goods as immediate assistance to affected families all over the region. This, along with the last round of relief distribution which is still ongoing brings the figure at P862,558,693 worth of goods equivalent to 1,129,175 food packs.

The men and women of DSWD have been working nonstop to provide assistance to the victims of the super typhoon.

We are therefore saddened to hear the barrage of criticisms that our Department is getting from one local radio station recently despite of clarifications we already gave them through interviews.

We would like to inform the public that the goods referred thereat are what remain of the ongoing last round of distribution that is part of our rehabilitation phase, which the office only received in the last week of June and July in staggered delivery due to its volume.

We have already completed the distribution of the last round of relief augmentation to LGUs in Iloilo, Capiz and Antique comprising 86 percent of the total 515,071 (only for the last round) food packs.

What remains there is the 14 percent or 72,010 food packs of noodles and canned goods intended for Negros Occidental and three towns of Aklan, specifically Buruanga, Malinao and Tangalan. Our Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Unit is already working out for the cargo transfer of the goods for Negros Occidental. As for the LGUs in Aklan, we have informed them to send trucks so they could pull out the goods intended for them.

As to the noodles, we would like to clarify that some of the date of expiry will be in the months of October and November 2014. While this is beyond our control as the Field Office did not procure these but were instead delivered to us, we accept accountability.

We shall make sure that all these will be distributed on or before September 15, 2014.

The DSWD has never been remiss of its duty, braving heat and rain, to extend its arms to those affected by typhoon Yolanda. In fact, we’ve had workers who were injured and workers who also lost their homes. But we never stopped working for the survivors and we will continue to do so.

(Original signed)
JOEL P. GALICIA
Assistant Regional Director