Tacloban City, Leyte – President Benigno S. Aquino III assured the families displaced by Typhoon Yolanda during his visit to this city and nearby towns yesterday that “there is enough supply of relief goods.”
Although there are other disaster-stricken areas such as Bohol, Central Luzon, and Zamboanga City where there are still on-going relief operations and rehabilitation efforts, the President made sure that all affected families in Leyte, Samar and other ‘Yolanda’-devastated
This was seconded by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman saying that the 40 towns in Leyte have already been reached with relief packs.
Secretary Soliman is still in Eastern Visayas to oversee the relief operations.
As of November 18, DSWD has distributed a total of 579,800 food and rice packs, 39,484 canned goods, 200,897 liters of water, and 98,588 pieces of high-energy biscuits.
The town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar is now a base where mayors from nearby municipalities can get goods.
Yesterday, DSWD also initially installed 32 tents as temporary shelter for homeless families in Barangays 95 and 59 in Sagkahan, Tacloban,
As of today, DSWD has repacked a total of 1,038,983 family food packs from its various repacking centers in Regions V, VII, X, XII, CARAGA and the National Capital Region.
Relief ops in other region
Food distribution in other regions hit by Typhoon Yolanda also continues.
In Western Visayas, 146,922 food packs were extended to displaced families while 3,192 were distributed in Region IV-B.
On the other hand, DSWD-VII provided 55,294 food packs to affected families in Central Visayas.
Humanitarian Aid
As debris are being cleared on major roads and the port is reopened, the flow of humanitarian aid, particularly relief food, is increasing pace at the DSWD relief warehouse in Tacloban City and other hubs in Ormoc and Guian, Eastern Samar.
Yesterday, World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin together with WFP Representative and Country Director Praveen Agrawal paid a quick visit at the DSWD relief hub in Tacloban.
DSWD Assistant Secretary Camilo Gudmalin ushered in Cousin and Agrawal inside the relief hub to inform them on the repacking and distribution of relief goods
He also briefed them on the process of repacking and releasing goods to affected families in various towns in Leyte and Samar.
Earlier, WFP donated high-energy biscuits as well as telecommunications equipment.
On the other hand, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through JICA-Philippines Chief Sasaki Takahiro donated today 2000 sleeping pads, 500 tents, 620 plastic sheets, 20 generators, 20 cord reel and 20 water purifier for Ormoc, San Isidro, Tacloban, Palo, Tanauan, Basey, and Guiuan.
Likewise, DSWD received various goods from other international donors such as tents, blankets, tarpaulins, plastic sheets, medicines, and hygiene kits.
Secretary Soliman said that national government is mobilizing the manpower and resources of all government agencies to speed up the relief, rescue, and rehabilitation of ‘Yolanda’-hit provinces.# # #
