The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) – 7 has provided Food-for Work (FFW) assistance to the local government units that need support in their efforts to undertake disaster preparedness, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation or risk reduction projects and activities in their communities like declogging of canals, maintaining cleanliness of surroundings/evacuation centers, removing of debris on roads and highways, among others.
As reported early this year, Region 7 is number one in dengue fever cases. In fact, the Department of Health-7 has declared an outbreak of Dengue in Central Visayas on February 7, 2019. Also, cases of measles are alarming.
“That is why our office has called on all local social welfare and development officers in the region for a meeting and initiated the effort to help when needed because our role is to provide them augmentation support,” said Rebecca P. Geamala, regional head of DSWD-7.
She also said that the LGUs have submitted proposals for the food-for-work implementation including the type of disaster mitigation to carry out and who will be included in the FFW program in their respective municipalities.
“As we support the LGUs in this endeavor, we do not allow any political candidates to be present in our activities,” expressed Director Geamala.
She revealed that “however prudent we are in the performance of our mandate, still there are circumstances that caught us off-guard. Please be informed that we do not distribute our goods with politicians. If you see some streamers bearing our logo, it is not ours. Because we follow the DSWD branding in all our printed materials to include streamers and tarpaulins.”
As of March 28, DSWD-7 has already distributed family food packs in exchange for the work that was carried out by the volunteers or beneficiaries of the program in the municipalities of Batuan, Sierra Bullones, Candijay, Ubay, Buenavista and Trinidad in Bohol; Liloan, Aloguinsan, Tabuelan, Daanbantayan, City of Naga, Pinamungahan, Asturias, Balamban, Malabuyoc, San Fernando, Santa Fe, and Talisay City in Cebu; and Guihulngan, Tanjay City and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
On March 25, 2019, the provincial government of Cebu has declared a state of calamity in the province due to the ill effect of El Niño phenomenon. Relative to this, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office has called its partners including the DSWD to discuss concrete preparedness and response actions to anticipate the adverse effect of El Nino.
According to RD Geamala, DSWD-7 is ready to help, however, with the election ban starting March 29, 2019 and in the absence of an exemption from the COMELEC, activities like releases of assistance are stopped including the distribution of family food packs for the FFW.
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