DSWD: LGUs in charge of soup kitchens

MANILA, Philippines - Local government units (LGUs), and not the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), are in charge of setting up soup kitchens in evacuation centers, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman has said.

Soliman said the DSWD provides LGUs only with technical assistance.

The DSWD field offices, as well as the central office, also provide auxiliary relief supplies to the LGUs, she added.

Soliman issued the clarification on Tuesday in response to Sen. Francis Escudero’s call for the DSWD to set up soup kitchens in communities affected by calamities to immediately feed displaced people.

Escudero also criticized the DSWD for distributing uncooked rice and noodles and canned goods to evacuees, saying they have no tools to cook food.