To ensure rapid response following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the province of Sarangani on June 8, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) conducted a multi-modal relief operation together with other national agencies to reach isolated towns and assist affected families and individuals.
Acting on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to expedite government assistance, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian continued to monitor and visit the affected areas in Sarangani on Tuesday, together with Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon.
“The DSWD stands committed, ready kami tumulong, ready kami rumesponde. In fact, nandito ako ngayon, nandito rin si Secretary Herbosa and Secretary Dizon, dahil nautusan kami at ang direktiba ng Pangulo is to make sure, mabilis ang response (we are ready to help, ready to respond. In fact, I am here, alongside Secretaries Herbosa and Dizon, because we were ordered by the President, and his directive is to make sure that the response is immediate),” Gatchalian said in a radio interview.
A few hours after the massive tremor on Monday, Gatchalian immediately flew to General Santos City to oversee the DSWD’s ongoing disaster response operations in the area.
The DSWD chief identified the hardest-hit areas requiring immediate intervention, including the municipalities of Glan, Maasim, and Malapatan in Sarangani province, as well as the towns of Malita, Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos, and Balut Island in Davao Occidental.
Gatchalian said that even before the disaster occurred, the department was prepared with more than 1.1 million family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned across Mindanao to ensure immediate relief distribution.
To address the immediate needs of injured individuals, the DSWD’s Field Offices have distributed financial assistance worth PHP10,000 to each of the126 patients at the Sarangani Provincial Hospital, and the 295 patients at the Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital.
Personnel from the department’s Field Offices also distributed ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes to mothers who gave birth in the obstetrics wards of both hospitals.
The DSWD also set up outdoor tents at the Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital to serve as temporary shelters for the evacuated patients.
Modular and family tents were similarly pitched inside an evacuation center in Jose Abad Santos to properly accommodate the displaced residents.
“Sisiguraduhin namin na hindi bibitaw hanggang sa maiahon natin ang ating mga kababayan mula dito sa trahedya na to; sisiguraduhin natin na hindi natin sila iiwanan, at sisiguraduhin natin na hanggang sa recovery kasama nila kami (We assure that we will not give up until our countrymen recovers from this tragedy; we assure that we will not abandon them, and we will ensure that we will be with them until the recovery phase),” Gatchalian said.
As of press time, the DSWD has provided humanitarian assistance worth over PHP4.23 million to the earthquake-hit individuals and families.
To ensure that relief efforts continue without delay, the department maintains available relief resources, including PHP839.89 million in its Quick Response Fund (QRF) and PHP4.46 million worth of food and non-food items (NFIs).
With landslides causing road closures in the affected communities, the DSWD is using Philippine Air Force (PAF) helicopters for airlifts while coordinating with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine Navy (PN) to transport additional FFPs by sea.
“Mag a-airlift na yung airforce ngayon ng mga karagdagan pang goods using yung mga black hawk helicopters para makapasok kaagad. Also, nandito nakikipag-ugnayan na rin kami sa Philippine Coast Guard kasi by sea naman at Philippine Navy para mapadala pa natin yung mga karagdagang family food packs (To immediately get in right away, the air force will airlift additional goods today using black hawk helicopters, and we are also coordinating with the PCG and the Philippine Navy so that we can send more family food packs by sea),” Gatchalian said.
Based on the latest Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information and Communication (DROMIC) report, 145,693 individuals, or 32,926 families, from 163 barangays across the Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen are affected by the tremor. (PNA)
