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The Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development has entered into a memorandum of agreement with five non-government organizations that commit to providing volunteers or a workforce for the repacking of family food packs (FFPs) and/or non-food items (NFIs) intended for the communities affected by disasters or calamities.

DSWD Field Office VII Assistant Regional Director for Operations Juanito Cantero and the chairpersons of the five NGOs strike a pose as they hold the signed memorandum of agreeement on Thursday, September 21, 2023.

DSWD Field Office VII Assistant Regional Director for Operations Juanito Cantero, who represented the Department, signed the MOA as witness along with the founding chairpersons of Traffic Assistance Group (TAG 7), Philippine Guardian Brotherhood Inc. (PGBI-MVSLR), Community Action Force (CAF 7), Blasert Force 568, Inc. (BFFI), and 1984 Guardian Brotherhood Inc. (1984 GBI) at the VDRC in Barangay Tingub, Mandaue City, on Thursday, September 21, 2023.

Under the MOA, the DSWD and the said NGOs agreed to institutionalize their partnership for the purposes of resource sharing, thereby optimizing and ensuring the prompt delivery of social welfare services to the communities affected by calamities or disasters and the effective and efficient implementation of various humanitarian programs of the government.

In his message, Cantero expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards the volunteer organizations for their commitment to help, particularly in the repacking of relief goods, as the VDRC aims to repack and stock at least 100,000 family food packs (FFPs) and raw materials equivalent to 150,000 FFPs at any given time to help mitigate the impacts of disasters on people’s lives.

“Akong ipaabot ngadto sa tanan ang kinasing-kasing nga pasalamat sa inyong paghalad sa inyong kaugalingon aron kita magkatambayayong sa katuyuan nga matagaan og pagtagad ang mga nanginahanglan labi og sa pagkaon atol sa mga katalagman (I would like to convey to all of you my heartfelt thanks for volunteering yourselves so that we can work together for the purpose of providing attention to those in need of food in times of disasters),” he said.

Engr. Irish Flor Yaranon, VDRC chief administrative officer, for her part, urged everyone to remain united and ready to respond to any challenges that may come, as she expressed gratitude towards the NGOs.

Yaranon said the MOA signing stand as a testament to the enduring strength of the collaboration and the vital role of the partners in times of crisis or in the face of adversity.

The VDRC chief administrative officer noted that they were able to successfully pack a total of 2,620,742 FFPs, which were distributed to various locations across the Philippines, spanning from the northern part of the country, particularly in Region 2, all the way down to Mindanao.

CAF 7 Founding Chairperson Diosdado Gesta said that assisting DSWD is not just an act of kindness, adding that it is a demonstration of unity and compassion as a nation. He assured them that they could help the department in their mission to provide hope and relief when a disaster strikes.

BFFI Founding Chairperson Achilles Branzuela Coronel, on the other hand, said their organization is glad to be among DSWD’s partner organizations, as they could help mitigate the impact of disasters, especially in the lives of the people.

Some members of the five NGOs who commit to volunteering themselves at the VDRC serve as witnesses during the MOA signing ceremony in Barangay Tingub, Mandaue City on Thursday, September 21, 2023.

“We will be able to help DSWD Region 7 in speeding up or stocking up more because VDRC is supplying the whole of Visayas and Mindanao,” said Coronel, who noted the lack of manpower at VDRC in terms of repacking relief goods.

Apart from that, the BFFI founding chairperson also emphasized the importance of having men or forces on the ground whom the department can tap anytime amid the challenges in the distribution of FFPs. He said it is vital that the men on the ground have at least learned about the basics of disaster or emergency response.

TAG 7 Founding Chairperson Celestino Supapo, as well as PGBI-MVSLR Founding Chairperson Virgilio Bagasala and 1984 GBI Chairperson Vicente Seno, have nothing to say but express their gratitude to DSWD for the opportunity, as they also assured the Department that they are willing to serve, especially nowadays where disasters are getting worse. ###

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