The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VI today convened the agencies in the disaster response cluster in preparation for the Boracay closure.
“Our utmost concern is the condition of families who will be displaced,” said Delia Villa-Bagolcol, Assistant regional director for Operations who presided the meeting.
In attendance were DSWD technical persons, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine Army and the Philippine Information Agency.
Bagolcol assured that the agency has already prepositioned relief goods in Malay, Aklan which could be pulled out when the LGU needs augmentation.
“We anticipate that the displaced families who will be affected the most are those who are informal settlers. They will be our priority,” said Bagolcol.
She stressed, however, that crisis response should be at the frontline of the LGU response and “the DSWD will be ready to augment.”
Also, 28 households who were issued with Notices to vacate will be assisted. Of this number, 15 are families covered by Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
“We will be helping them. We will be coordinating with the LGU for their relocation” said Bagolcol.
Initial statistics show that there will be 6,829 households and at total of 58,000 population (based on 2015 census) that will be affected.
“We are glad that the agencies in the response cluster have convened. There will be a series of meetings so that we could put things in place and assist these families who will be affected,” said Bagolcol.

ONE-STOP OPERATION CENTER
Earlier, Regional Rirector Rebecca P. Geamala said that the agency will be opening a One-stop-shop Operation Center.
“It is where the staff of the DSWD and other agencies can work together and converge efforts in addressing the needs of Boracay residents and non-residents alike who are all affected by the closure,” dsif Geamala.
This one is an improvement of the existing Operation Center which has begun operating on April 7, 2018.
Geamala earlier said that she has already ¬¬reactivated the Quick Response Team of the region to respond to the situation.
There will be 150 workers who will be deployed next week to validate the list of households affected submitted by the LGU.
She also assured that the region has a standby fund of P6.2 million for disaster operations and maintains a 30,000 stockpile of family food packs, each costing P360 per pack.
“If there is a declaration of state of calamity, we could utilize this to help those affected in Boracay,” she said.
Apart from this, Geamala said that she has instructed for the immediate release of Aid for Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) for Aklan province.
“The province of Aklan has a priority support from our office. The AICS fund can be used to serve those Malay non-residents who will be displaced. The residents, on the other hand, will be helped by the municipality,” said Geamala./dswd6