Food packs prepared in Cebu sent to hard-hit Samar towns

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development has sent over 7,000 family food packs to Eastern Visayas from its relief operations hub in Cebu.

Seven C130 flights were launched from Benito Ebuen Airbase in Mactan yesterday to bring much-needed food to the hard-hit towns of Borongan and Catarman.

Of the 7,334 packs delivered, 3,042 were appropriated for Borongan while 4,292 packs were intended for Catarman.

Today, 10 more trips are scheduled, still for Eastern Visayas.

As the Visayas relief hub, Cebu has three relief packing areas: the Cebu International Convention Center (Mandaue City), Petroni Warehouse (Mandaue City), and the old Sacred Heart School campus in Cebu City.

DSWD is also calling for more volunteers to help, with interested individuals being advised to go directly to the packing centers in the two ci-ties.  A total of 347 volunteers have been helping DSWD in the three sites.

Transport of relief goods to eastern Visayas started yesterday, as the one scheduled last Monday was cancelled due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, fourth district Representative Benhur Salimbangon offered help in the relief effort by providing trucks to DSWD-7 to transport relief goods northern Cebu towns affected by typhoon Ruby.

This, after DSWD-7 Assistant Director Shalaine Lucero expressed concern on how to transport relief goods not only for northern Cebu but also for Region VIII.

Salimbangon chose to stay in Cebu yesterday instead of attending the session in Congress to personally supervise the relief operations, especially that most of the affected residents are his consti-tuents in the fourth district.

Salimbangon has congratulated the city, municipal, and barangay officials   for the efficient disaster preparation and for keeping the people safe, as well as the provincial government for the effective implementation of its disaster risk reduction management program.  During the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza yesterday, Lucero said they target to send 50,000 food packs a day for Regions VII and VIII.

She said they were able to release 38,252 food packs worth P15.5 million to northern Cebu local government units yesterday. There is also an additional 23,654 food packs worth P9.6 million to be delivered.

In the same forum, Salimbangon also congratulated the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration for predicting more accurately the path of the typhoon more than the international predictions.

Meanwhile, Salimbangon also announced that DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman has assured, in the presence of DSWD-7 Director Merceditas Jabagat and Governor Hilario Davide III, the release of Emergency Shelter Assistance for typhoon Yolanda victims in the first quarter of 2015.

“Pasensiya lang gyud ta, dili man gud ni masayon kay maghisgot gani ta og kwarta karon sa gobyerno, with the very strict rules and regulations pagpa-release sa kwarta mao na madugay gyud,” he said. — (FREEMAN)