'Noche Buena' yet to reach Pablo victims

MANILA, Philippines - About 7,000 families displaced by typhoon "Pablo" in Compostella Valley towns of Laak and Maco should not lose hope of having "noche buena" even after Christmas Day.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao City said that its personnel will continue to distribute "noche buena" packs for the families displaced by the typhoon.

Local DSWD director Priscilla Razon said relief efforts meant for displaced families' simple Christmas celebrations will continue until Thursday and Friday, after 4,500 packs were delivered to Cateel in Davao Oriental Tuesday on Christmas night.

Around 10,000 relief packs meant for evacuees had been delivered to almost all devastated towns in Davao Oriental and Compostella Valley the week before, Razon said in a statement.

Razon, whose team has distributed over 200,000 relief packs since December 8, added that government assistance is independent of relief efforts of private organizations and agencies.

The agency recently developed a more "orderly" scheme for distribution of goods using family-access cards for claiming the packs, the DSWD official said.

“These cards will record the frequency they receive the relief packs. We have to indicate the date they received the packs with their signature and the countersignature of the social worker," Razon explained.