DSWD reassures Region 12 flood victims of assistance

The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday reassured assistance to families affected by the recent flooding in Region XII. Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said her department is providing augmentation assistance to local government units affected by Tropical Storm Falcon (Meari). "As of June 26, numbers of affected families reached 78,920 or about 394,593 persons in 15 municipalities of the region. Of these, families inside the evacuation centers in Cotabato City number 8,231 families or 41,465 persons," the DSWD said in a news release on its website. It added 49 evacuation centers in Region XII are currently serving 9,509 families or 47,855 persons. DSWD Field Office 12 facilitated the massive repacking of relief goods at Cotabato City and Koronadal City Operations centers with the help of volunteer civilians and different organizations. These will be distributed to affected families inside and outside evacuation centers in Cotabato City, Soliman said. Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) donated 1,000 pieces of blankets, 1,474 plastic mats, and bundles of tarpaulin to the evacuees in Cotabato City. Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) teams continuously coordinate with the affected LGUs and assist in distributing relief goods to the evacuees. Meanwhile, the DSWD said an additional 200 bags of rice were released in Pigcawayan, Cotabato for the remaining families who have not received assistance yet. The DSWD said the assistance it has provided to affected families in Region 12 has reached P14,572,010. It said LGUs gave P3,414,898 while P916,643 came from non-government organizations (NGOs). — RSJ, GMA News