The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is gearing up for the onset of the La Niña phenomenon, expected to occur this June. The department is ensuring that its disaster preparedness and response strategies are in place to mitigate the potential effects of the wet season, according to an agency official who spoke at the Media Forum at the Central Office’s New Press Center in Quezon City on Thursday, May 2.
Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), Irene Dumlao, announced the approval of the Buong Bansa Handa project and the ongoing procurement process. The project aims to expedite the delivery of assistance when the rainy season arrives.
The Buong Bansa Handa project will establish two parallel supply chain mechanisms for disaster preparedness and response, enhancing the department’s capacity to meet the needs of families in various disaster-stricken areas. The first mechanism involves a national and local government-driven supply chain that will enhance the production capacities and processes of the DSWD’s National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City, the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Cebu, and warehouse and storage facilities across the 16 DSWD Field Offices.
The second mechanism will see the DSWD forging partnerships with established large and small groceries, supermarkets, manufacturers, and distributors. This collaboration will leverage their technical expertise and resources to create a private sector-driven supply chain.
Assistant Secretary Dumlao also highlighted the department’s efforts in monitoring relief supplies and ensuring that there are enough family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items (NFIs) prepositioned in different warehouses across the country. As of April 29, a total of 387,124 FFPs have been prepositioned in the 10 DSWD hubs, while 602,113 boxes of food packs were sent to the 66 spokes and 545,526 FFPs in the 849 last-mile facilities across the country.
The DSWD is also monitoring evacuation centers to ensure that evacuees will be provided with necessary interventions. These measures underscore the department’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of Filipinos, especially during the upcoming wet season.