DSWD sends debriefing teams to Zambo Sibugay

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has sent 14 teams of social workers to two towns in Zamboanga Sibugay province in Mindanao to conduct stress debriefing for families affected by recent skirmishes there between the military and lawless groups. Social workers from the DSWD Region 9 office and sub-offices in Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur were sent to Alicia and Payao towns to conduct Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) sessions, the DSWD said. Of the 14, four teams were deployed in Payao while the others were assigned in Alicia, the DSWD said in a news release. According to the DSWD, CISD is not psychotherapy or a substitute for it, but an opportunity for ventilation in a structured and supportive environment. “Its main goal is to relieve the person of the stress brought about by a traumatic incident," it said. During the sessions, adults are to be subjected to the seven phases of Jeffrey Mitchell’s CISD model where they will have group meetings or discussions. Children would undergo sessions on draw and tell where they were encouraged to draw their experiences and encountered scenes in the hope of mitigating the effects of their trauma. The teams were also tasked to assess the damages brought about by the conflict as well as look into other needs of the affected families and communities. The DSWD said that as of November 5, the number of evacuation centers in Zamboanga Sibugay is down to five from 11. Two evacuation centers are located in Payao and three in Olutanga providing temporary shelter only at nighttime to some 166 families or 830 people, and 135 families or 675 people, respectively. During the day, the evacuees return to their respective homes to attend to their livelihood but they continue to be provided with relief assistance. On the other hand, some 3,817 affected families with 19,075 people are still staying with friends’ and relatives and are continuously being provided with relief assistance. The DSWD has so far provided some P8.1 million worth of assistance to the affected local government units including P7 million in cash-for-work allocation and P1.1 million in family food packs. Meanwhile, in Al-Barka town in Basilan, as of November 5, some 2,224 families opted to stay with their relatives and friends but continue to receive relief assistance. Some P3.1 million worth of assistance from DSWD-IX (P2.6 million), DSWD-ARMM (P50,000) and the LGU (P511,075.00) had been extended to them, the DSWD said. — KBK, GMA News