BY JOHN CARLO DABLO/DSSC Intern
THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao Region has mobilized a total of ₱111,987,557 in humanitarian aid to spearhead relief, early recovery, and displacement operations across disaster-affected regions.
Speaking at Abreeza Mall on July 1, Atty. Hazel Analou Sirunai, Disaster Response Management Division focal person, explained that the agency is using a multi-layered strategy to support displaced communities, combining urgent food and material distributions with a large-scale Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) initiative.
Looking ahead to July, Atty. Sirunai stated that the DSWD will concentrate on finishing the upcoming rounds of cash distributions. Additionally, the agency will prioritize addressing local mayors’ requests for family tents and temporary shelters as quickly as formal municipal documentation is verified.
To address immediate survival needs on the ground, Atty. Sirunai highlighted that emergency response teams have successfully distributed
-58,160 family food packs,
– 4,583 non-food items,
– 2,220 ready-to-eat meals.
Distribution operations for non-food items are still actively moving forward in areas where geographic access permits. This includes a targeted deployment of 3,554 family tents and essential kits, prioritized for the municipality of Jose Abad Santos, to shelter families who lost their homes.
A central pillar of the early recovery strategy is the ECT, which provides direct financial lifelines to help families purchase what they need most while simultaneously stimulating local markets.
Sirunai explained that the ECT payout amounts are systematically calculated based on 70% of the regional minimum wage. To date, 7,317 beneficiaries have received their ECT payouts, while 13 individuals have been processed for separate, specialized cash assistance. I
In Sarangani, payout operations have been completed, hitting the targeted scope of 7,101 families. Meanwhile, operations in Jose Abad Santos are ongoing to reach a target of 22,576 families, with additional payout rounds scheduled to continue throughout July.
As local government units (LGUs) work to validate figures on the ground, Sirunai shared indicative data exposing severe structural damage and high displacement rates across the impacted zones. An estimated 5,000 individuals have been permanently displaced by the disaster.
Furthermore, the baseline data being used for ECT eligibility reveals that 10,244 households sustained totally damaged houses, while 5,122 households are dealing with partially damaged structures. Out of these totals, the municipality of Jose Abad Santos alone has indicatively reported 2,648 families with totally destroyed homes, a figure that the speaker noted remains subject to final LGU validation.
