At the opening of this year’s National Disaster Consciousness Month celebration, Assistant Regional Director for Administration, Virginia Idano, of the DSWD Field Office Eight emphasized in her message that disaster response is not the responsibility of one or more agencies,  but the concern of all.  The activity was held early July, at the Robinson’s Place in Tacloban City.

Representing DSWD Eight Director Remia Tapispisan,  who sits as vice – chair of the Disaster Response Committee of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC),  Idano bared that the DSWD has undertaken a paradigm shift – from being a dole – out entity to a development – oriented one.

She cited empowering communities by way of conducting Community Disaster Preparedness trainings, using the cash-for-training scheme, whereby beneficiaries receive a subsidy of Php 860.00 for a period of four days of training.  Idano further reported of the DSWD’s cash – for – work program for small – scale farmers and fisherfolk to alleviate their plight, particularly during lean months;  hence, they are made to come up with disaster mitigation measures within their respective communities.

Last year,   the DSWD Field Office Eight extended support to some 111, 632 Cash-for-Work beneficiaries regionwide,  involving a total cash assistance of Php 213,679, 833.00.  Each recipient receives Php1, 533.00 as stipend for a seven – day work.

Said Idano,  the subsidy is given in exchange for the restoration/rehabilitation work of community facilities damaged by typhoons, or the disaster mitigation measures they have undertaken.

The DSWD official also reported that in times of disasters,  the local government unit is at the frontline to respond to emergency relief assistance, while their agency backs up for augmentation if at the provincial level,  it can no longer provide support to disaster victims.

“We have taken a proactive stance and one of the steps is that we have started pre-positioning relief goods in five disaster – prone areas, initially,”  she stated.   These are the municipalities of MacArthur and Palo of Leyte province,  St. Bernard and San Juan in Southern Leyte, and the city of Tacloban.

The DSWD maintains a stockpile of at least two thousand family food packs at the field office, and a Quick Response Fund of five hundred thousand pesos, at any give time.  The Php 250.00 worth of family pack is good for a family of six members, and consists of three kilos rice, three packages of noodles,  one box of 150 grams of full cream milk, two tins of beef loaf, and two tins of corned beef.