The government is mulling over providing financial assistance to the thousands of families in various evacuation centers in Albay who have been moved out from their residences due to the possible hazardous eruption of Mayon Volcano, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Tuesday.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Gatchalian said that the government is considering the possible distribution of cash aid to the families in evacuation centers in the province, on top of the family food packs already provided for them by the local and national governments.
“Now, alam natin na iyong mga food packs na iyan, ‘eh hindi naman iyan lahat ng pangangailangan mo na nandoon sa loob, kasi tipikal iyan. Pero kung mayroon kang anak na maliit na kailangan ng gatas and so forth, nag-uusap na rin kami ng local government, upon the instruction of the President, na baka kailangan sustentuhan o ayudahan natin ng financial assistance,” the DSWD chief said.
He said he is in constant communication with Governor Grex Lagman on how to distribute the cash assistance and how much.
“We are always in communication with Governor Grex Lagman. We are also talking to the congressional representatives of Albay. So, to get all the varying inputs, kung paano pa tayo makakatulong,” Gatchalian noted.
Employing the whole-of-government approach, Gatchalian said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is constantly monitoring the situation on the ground to make sure that the evacuees have sufficient food provisions.
“The President is monitoring the situation carefully. We’ve been in constant communication since last week, on a daily or hourly basis, about his directives on making sure that lahat ng mga na-evacuate ay may pagkain,” he pointed out.
“Alam naman natin ang pagpapatakbo ng evacuation centers are the responsibilities of the local government units. But the DSWD, upon instruction of the President, will give them the necessary logistical support,” Gatchalian said.
Last Saturday, the DSWD chief met with Governor Lagman, together with the nine local government units, including the City of Legazpi, that will be affected by the volcanic eruption, to discuss the distribution of family food packs.
“Ang naging agreement namin doon, the first five waves ng pagkain, a wave is three days. At that time, ang target natin 8,000 families…It’s around 38,000 na food packs ang hawak na ng various local government units to include the provincial government,” Gatchalian said.
“So, ang sabi nila, we wanna complement each other’s resources, rather than overlap each other’s resources. Now, pagtapos ng six days nila, that’s been 21 days, papasok ulit ang DSWD with another fifteen days. So, it’s wave after wave. That brings us close to forty-five days, which is historically the minimum or minsan nangyayari pa iyong eruption na hanggang 45 days lang,” he said.
Gatchalian said they will again sit down with the LGUs to discuss the arrangement of who would be providing the food on what days.
“So, bottom line natin dito, lahat ng nilikas na mga lokal na pamahalaan na nasa evacuation center, hawak na ng kanilang alkalde, ng kanilang mga local officials, iyong food for the next 15 days. Then, after which, the provincial government will step in,” he said.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said they sent a team to the evacuation areas which have experienced overcrowding.
“Kasi pag-dumadami ang tao diyan, palikuran ang kailangan. I think napadala na ang aming WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) team. Meron kaming tinatawag na WASH team sa Department of Health, Health Emergency Management Bureau, or iyong Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office,” the DOH chief said.
“I will send another team, para ma-augment sila kagaya noong alternating with waves. So, we need to send more health teams to the area and, sabi sa akin, mga 90 days pa daw. So, it looks like this (will be) a long-drawn-out activity,” he said.
Gatchalian also noted that he talked with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro last Saturday for the deployment of personnel from the Office of Civil Defense to address the concern of potable water in the area.
“Kanina, kausap ko si Secretary (Benhur) Abalos. Papadala rin iyong mga nasa MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority). And I also like to take the opportunity to thank Secretary Abalos for facilitating and the Royal Family of the United Arab Emirates. Kasi nag-facilitate si Secretary Abalos, sa counterpart n’ya doon, who happens to be part of the Royal Family and 50 tons of various food items, na dumating kahapon. 24 hours lang iyan minobilize,” he said.
