The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office-6 (Western Visayas) met with La Castellana Mayor Alme Rhummyla G. Nicor-Mangilimutan on Sunday (June 9) to discuss strategies that will further enhance the ongoing relief operations for families affected by the Kanlaon volcanic eruption in their municipality.

During the meeting, Mayor Nicor-Mangilimutan and the members of the Disaster Response Management Division (DRMD) of DSWD FO-6 tackled several ways to improve the provision of food and non-food items to displaced families staying in evacuation centers, and address issues in camp coordination and camp management.

“As directed by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, our concerned regional offices are consistently holding dialogues with local chief executives to address concerns, and improving our strategies to assist all our kababayans affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon,” DSWD Asst. Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Irene Dumlao said on Monday (June 10).

Based on the June 10 report of the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), the agency has already provided more than Php5.5 million worth of humanitarian assistance to the affected localities in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.

The DSWD is also currently monitoring the condition of 1,260 families or 4,391 individuals currently staying in eight evacuation centers in the abovementioned provinces.

“DSWD Field Office-6 and the LGU of Castellana also continue to conduct psychosocial interventions to lessen the impact of displacement in the lives of young children who are currently in evacuation sites,” said Asst. Sec. Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson.

The DSWD spokesperson said film showing, play and art therapy, counseling sessions and other activities were being conducted in the evacuation centers to help them get back to normalcy.#