MANILA – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Tuesday said the department is well-prepared to provide assistance to the local government units (LGUs) against any weather disturbance, including possible effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
In an interview during the News Breaker media forum, Gatchalian emphasized that LGUs are the first responders in disasters and calamities, as stipulated in Republic Act (RA) 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
“The first line of defense will be the LGUs. Kami (we), in the DSWD, is part of the NDRRMC [National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council] group but in the response side. Dagdag na tulong kumbaga (additional assistance, in other words),” Gatchalian said.
He said the DSWD has already stockpiled food and non-food items, ready to be augmented to the LGUs, families and communities that will be affected by the El Niño.
“We are also ready to come in with cash assistance. Pero (But) the important fact there is, bagamat handa kami, kailangang mag-coordinate pa rin kami sa LGUs (though we are ready, we still need to coordinate with the LGUs),” Gatchalian said.
While the effects of El Niño increase, the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions still looms.
For instance, he cited an incident two weeks ago where Maguindanao del Sur province and Malaybalay City had declared a state of calamity because of torrential rains with a volume similar to that of a southwest monsoon (habagat) downpour, enough to disrupt the people’s livelihood.
Gatchalian said the DSWD teamed up with the local officials and legislators as well as with the provincial government officials to come up with a package of intervention.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the enhanced southwest monsoon season may still be expected, which may result in above-normal rainfall conditions over the western part of the country.
“Included in the package of intervention is food on every table, immediately. Their work is interrupted, so it is important to provide for their food. So we helped the LGUs with the food supply, among other things. In Maguindanao del Sur, we distributed 44,000 FFPs (family food packs). In Malaybalay, if I’m not mistaken, it’s around 3,000 to 4,000 FFPs,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD also provided cash for work (CFW) to the affected families and individuals.
On Tuesday, PAGASA announced the start of the El Niño phenomenon in the Tropical Pacific and the effects of the drought will be expected in the Philippines.
Oplan Pag-Abot project
In the same media forum, Gatchalian explained the Oplan Pag-Abot Project, DSWD’s newest initiative which, he said, further aims to establish a central database of families, individuals and children in street situations.
He said the database is important in improving the project as well as in monitoring the status of the “already reached-out families and individuals.”
“Sa database na iyon, malalaman natin ilan ba talaga sila, saan sila nanggaling na probinsya, ano ang mga rason. Binubuo natin ang mga profile (Through this database, we will determine how many families and individuals are in street situations, where they come from, and what their reasons are [for staying on the streets]… We are establishing their profile),” Gatchalian said.
He said the database will also show if the families and individuals have already been reached-out before.
Through this database, the Department will be able to provide other interventions that best fit the needs of the clients so they will not be forced to come back to living on the streets, he added.
The DSWD, he said, is currently undertaking the establishment of the database through the administration of the client’s biometrics, and interview assessment at the designated processing center after the reach-out operations.
“We know that a part of the basic human rights is the right to identity. This is the first step towards this end. They will be given an identification card for the first time in their life after the DSWD’s reach out operations,” he said. (PNA)