00:00Assistance of the DSWD on the affected individuals of the volcano eruption in Canlaon.
00:05We will talk with Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao,
00:09Disaster Response Management and OSEC Concerns,
00:13and the spokesperson of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
00:17ASEC Dumlao, good afternoon.
00:24The volume is a bit low.
00:26Good afternoon, Usec Marge, and good afternoon, Ma'am Nina,
00:30and of course, good afternoon to all the viewers of your program.
00:35ASEC Irene, according to you,
00:36how many individuals or families are currently affected by Volcano Canlaon
00:41that need to be evacuated?
00:43And where are these people from?
00:48Well, Usec Marge, according to the 6 a.m. Dromic Report of the DSWD,
00:5314 barangays were affected by the eruption of Mount Canlaon,
00:59and more than 2,000 families or an equivalent of more than 6,500 individuals were affected.
01:08And currently, we have 13 evacuation centers
01:13that can be found in Bago City, La Castellana,
01:17as well as Moises Padilla and Ponte Verde in Negros Occidental.
01:23There are also evacuation centers in Canlaon City and here in Negros Oriental.
01:29And currently, close to 2,000 families or more than 6,400 individuals
01:36are in the mentioned evacuation centers.
01:41So what assistance is the DSWD providing to the residents
01:47and to the evacuees who were affected by the eruption of Volcano Canlaon?
01:55Actually, Madam Nina,
01:56we have already prepositioned family food packs and non-food items
02:01here in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
02:05More than 40,000 family food packs and more than 14,000 non-food items
02:11were prepositioned in Occidental.
02:14And also, close to 40,000 family food packs and more than 1,800 non-food items
02:21were prepositioned in Negros Oriental.
02:25And we have already released to the affected populations,
02:31particularly the families who are in the evacuation centers.
02:35This morning, we went to Secretary Rex Gatchalian in Negros Island
02:41and supervised the distribution of food packs and non-food items in evacuation centers.
02:48Aside from the food packs and non-food items that we sent,
02:53Secretary Rex also brought water filtration kits
02:58and distributed them to evacuation centers
03:01that will be able to supply drinking water to the displaced families.
03:09Okay, so now, how is the DSWD preparing for your relief efforts
03:14for the affected families in Negros?
03:16What are the primary needs that your government is addressing for the displaced?
03:25Since March, our field offices are continuously monitoring local governments
03:30to make sure that we have sufficient food packs and non-food items
03:37that we can distribute as part of our augmentation support to the local government units.
03:43As I mentioned, we have already prepositioned food packs and non-food items
03:49in Negros Occidental and in Negros Oriental.
03:53Also this morning, we loaded additional family food packs,
03:58around 5,000 family food packs were loaded to our trucks
04:04from Visayas Disaster Response Center in Cebu
04:07and to Negros Island to add our prepositioned goods.
04:13We will also transport additional food packs from the Visayas Disaster Response Center tomorrow
04:24and some other non-food items.
04:27How does the DSWD ensure that relief aid will reach the most remote areas
04:35or places that are difficult to reach and are affected by the explosion of the volcano?
04:42Yes, of course, we have personnel, QRT members who are deployed here in Negros Occidental and in Negros Oriental.
04:53They are in charge of the local government to determine who are the affected families and individuals.
05:02There's a means of verifying also the list submitted to us by the local government
05:09of the names and numbers of those affected
05:14so that we can be sure that everyone of those who are affected will be served and no one is underserved.
05:21Also, because of this close coordination with the various local government units,
05:28we are able to determine who should be provided with relief aid.
05:34We're not just providing assistance to families and individuals who are inside evacuation centers
05:39but also to internally displaced persons who are temporarily seeking shelter from their families and friends.
05:50So, we are able to monitor where the affected families are so that we can provide assistance.
05:59And to address your question, it's clear that even those located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas
06:09will be served or provided with relief aid.
06:12Irene, are there special programs that the DSWD is expected to provide
06:17even though there are residents who lost their homes due to the eruption of the volcano?
06:21And what are those?
06:25Well, aside from the food and non-food items that the DSWD is providing,
06:31we also have other assistance, financial assistance, cash relief assistance,
06:37under assistance to individuals in crisis situation while we are in the response phase.
06:43Another intervention that is being provided by the DSWD is the emergency cash transfer
06:50where we also provide unconditional cash transfers to assist the disaster affected families in their recovery
07:01in the early recovery stage so that they can buy food items aside from those that we are already providing.
07:10But the provision of that of course would be based on the result of the rapid damage assessment
07:17and needs analysis where we determine from that report what are the additional interventions
07:23that we should bring to the affected families.
07:28In addition to that, USECMARCH, the DSWD is continuously coordinating with other government agencies
07:35so that we can also endorse for additional assistance
07:40to the affected families from the programs that are being implemented by other agencies.
07:51Message to the affected families of Canlaon eruption?
07:59Well, I'd like to re-echo the message of our fellow public servant from the few folks
08:06to our fellow citizens, particularly those residing within the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone of Canlaon
08:16that we should listen to the advice of our local officials,
08:21the reminders that everyone within the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone should not enter
08:29so that we can be protected from various risks and not encounter further damage to life and property.
08:43We went to the evacuation centers.
08:47Our government continues to assure you that your needs for food and other non-food items will continue to be met.
08:59So you need not worry because the government is here to support you
09:05and we will do our best to provide all your needs.
09:11Again, just a reminder that we evacuated so that we can be protected.
09:18So with that, again, thank you very much and good evening.
09:23Thank you very much for your time.
09:25Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, Disaster Response Management and OSEC Concerns and spokesperson of the DSWD.
Comments