Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said that all DSWD-Field Offices in areas affected by Typhoon Lando continue to repack  relief supplies that can be immediately distributed to local government units (LGUs) when necessary.

She said that aside from keeping the safety of affected families through continuous evacuation from hazardous areas, the goal of the Department is to also ensure that there are enough relief supplies and these reach the beneficiaries immediately.

The Secretary added that the Department has an existing agreement with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Public Works and Highways for the availability of vehicles to transport relief goods in affected areas.

She also mentioned the new mechanized repacking system that the Department has recently acquired in partnership with World Food Programme and funding support  from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). The system enhances the capacity of the Department to repack 50,000 family food packs per day.

As of  6 am today, 42,097 families or 203,267 persons from Regions, I, II, III, CAR, and NCR have been displaced and assisted of whom 13,910 families or 62,990 persons are inside 336 evacuation centers managed by LGUs.

Likewise, 12,207 families or 59,159 persons are outside evacuation centers.

As of presstime, the DSWD has provided a total of P1,323,704.40 worth of relief assistance and continues to ensure steady supply of food packs to the said regions.

Meanwhile, the LGUs of Regions I, II, III and V have been provided  P829,649 worth of assistance.

Some 187, 525 family food packs are available in 96 municipalities of 17 provinces in Regions CAR, I, II, III, and IV-A.

DSWD disaster teams continue to coordinate with the LGUs to determine other services that can be provided to the affected families. ###