In last week’s launching program of the National Disaster Consciousness Week, DSWD Assistant Regional Director Jaime Eclavea who represented Regional Director Leticia Corillo, presented lengthily the agency’s new mandate along disaster response. Eclavea, however, said that though the DSWD acts as vice-chair of the Response Committee under the Regional Risk Reduction Council (formerly the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council), the Department still pursues rehabilitation undertakings as well as disaster preparedness activities.
He stated that the DSWD takes a supporting role in keeping with the New Local Government Code in which most of the frontline services have been transferred to the local government units. The official cited that the agency augments resources if the province could no longer provide, and extends, as well, technical assistance like how to manage an evacuation center, among others.
It maintains a Quick Response Fund and a standby of one thousand family food packs at a given period. Also, a Quick Response Team had been organized at the field office, ready to take on their respective responsibilities according to what committee they belong, in the event of a disaster.
Eclavea added that at the field level, workers were formed into the Social Welfare and Development Team (SWADT) who are immediately at the forefront in assisting local government units.
When disaster victims lose their sources of income, DSWD could also provide them with seed capital with no collateral and interest, thru its Self-Employment Assistance – Kaunlaran Program, Eclavea revealed. “This is part of our rehabilitation efforts for the victims,” he added, during his talk in same activity held at the Robinson’s Place.
Eclavea further mentioned that another rehabilitation measure is the Core Shelter Assistance Program, which involves the provision of a shelter unit amounting to Php 70,000.00, and one that can withstand a wind velocity of 220 kilometers per hour.
As of to date, there are 711 core shelter units spread out in the six provinces of the region. Amount of the project costs to a total of Php 45,030,000.00.
He disclosed that through the Department’s Rice Subsidy Program implemented via cash-for-work and cash-for-training, farmers and fishermen who are benefited,
work on the restoration of community facilities damaged as a result of natural calamities. They also set up preventive and mitigating measures to lessen the impact of any disaster like canal dredging.
Presently, there are some 8,621 poor farmers and fishermen of Catbalogan City, and the municipalities of Mahaplag and Abuyog who have enjoyed this program. Each beneficiary was paid Php 219.00 per day for a period of eleven days ( four days of cash-for-training and seven days of cash-for-work).