DSWD-7: 420K food packs released in 2020 to pandemic hit families in CV

DSWD-7 personnel load to a waitng vehicle family food packs that will be distributed to COVID-19 affected families in Central Visayas in this September 2020 photo. | DSWD-7 photo (file photo)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Cental Visayas (DSWD-7) has already distributed in 2020 more than 420,000 family food packs (FFPs) to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-affected families in the four provinces of Central Visayas.

Engineer John Balansag, warehouse unit head of DSWD-7’s Disaster Response Management Division, said that the FFPs were released upon the request of the local government units (LGUs).

Balansag said that for this year, DSWD-7 had already released 12,033 FFPs, which consisted of more than 8,000 FPPs in Cebu province, more than 3,000 FPPs in Bohol, 446 FFPs in Negros Oriental, and 100 FFPs in Siquijor.

“Sa process sa pag-request sa atong food and non-food item, the LGU will send a request letter, signed by the LCE (local chief executive) or the MSWDO (Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office) or CSWDO (City Social Welfare and Development Office). Then naka-attach ang masterlist sa mga affected nga constituent nila sa unsa nga klase sa disaster,” Balansag said.

(On the process to request for our food and non-food item, the LGU will send a letter of request, signed by the LCE (local chief executive) or the  MSWDO (Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office) or CSWDO (City Social Welfare and Development Office). Then the master list of the afffected constituents and what kind of disaster it was, would have to be attached in the letter of request.) 

The LGU will also need to submit a certificate of funds availability, to prove that their disaster fund has already been depleted since the agency is only mandated to augment to LGUs.

He said that DSWD-7 is also mandated to store a stockpile of 30,000 FFPs for the region. However, Balansag said that currently the agency only had 23,626 FFPs on standby.

“Since ongoing atong pag-pull out, ongoing atong pag-augment sa mga LGUs, however, continue ang atong pag-repack,” he added.

(Since our pulling out and augmenting of the LGUs is ongoing, however, we are also continuing our repacking.)

The FFPs consist of 6 kilograms of rice, 4 corned beef, 4 canned tuna, 2 sardines, 5 sachets of cereals, and 5 sachets of coffee which is worth P435. 

Each FFPs is good for a family with five members, which will last for 2-3 days.

/dbs

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