On instructions of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Sunday (November 26) went to Sarangani Province to oversee the provision of disaster assistance to displaced individuals affected by the 6.8 magnitude tremor in the municipalities of Malapatan and Glan.

Upon his arrival, Secretary Gatchalian immediately met with local officials, headed by Sarangani Governor Rogelio Pacquiao and Congressman Steve Chiongbian Solon to discuss the status of relief assistance and measures for the recovery of quake-affected families at the Sarangani Provincial Capitol.

“Napagkasunduan namin na hanggang sa kakailanganin ng mga local government units ng suporta sa food packs, tuloy-tuloy yan. Ngayon, yung Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), tuloy-tuloy rin nating ipapamahagi yan, pero yung pinag-usapan naming mas mabigat yung recovery ng mga tao, yung sa kanilang mga tahanan,” Secretary Gatchalian explained.

(We agreed that as long as the local government units need support in food packs, it will continue. Now, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation, we will also continue to distribute that, but what we talked about is more important, the recovery of the people, the ones who lost their homes.)

At the meeting, Secretary Gatchalian assured the local chief executives that the provision of AICS to affected locals will be completed by the DSWD Field Office before December 15.

Aside from the provision of AICS, the DSWD chief announced that the agency will also distribute financial support through the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program beginning January next year to ensure the continuous provision of recovery and rehabilitation of affected locals.

Afterwards, the DSWD chief led the AICS payout to the 1,000 beneficiaries in the municipality of Malapatan and 600 beneficiaries residing in Glan, Sarangani.

The families with totally damaged houses received Php10,000 each, while those with partially damaged houses were given Php5,000 each.

Aside from financial assistance, the DSWD Field Office SOCCSKSARGEN distributed two family food packs (FFPs) and a kitchen kit to each of the beneficiaries.

Sec. Gatchalian also went to inspect available stockpiled goods in one of the storage facilities in Glan.

The DSWD chief was joined in the aid distribution and inspection by Undersecretary for Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG) Diana Rose Cajipe and DSWD SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Director Loreto Cabaya Jr.

To date, the Department has already provided more than Php39 million worth of assistance to the affected families, composed of more than Php18 million worth of food and non-food items and more than Php20 million financial assistance through the AICS for affected families in both Davao Region and SOCCSKSARGEN. #