BAGUIO CITY- To help Filipinos cope with the effects of Typhoon Odette, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD FO CAR) prepares 10,200 Family Food Packs amounting to PhP 5, 136, 821.50 for the augmentation to communities affected by the said typhoon.

“We are now meeting the Disaster Response Inter-agency to ensure that we provide the needed manpower and resources to the regions in need at this point we are releasing the FFPs. We are also ready to provide additional manpower,” DSWD FO CAR Regional Director Arnel B. Garcia, CESO II said.

Aside from the FFPs, INMARSAT Emergency Telecommunication equipment are ready to be brought to affected areas together with a team eyed to personally bring the equipment and install to the designated affected area.

In addition, augmentation composed of personnel from the DSWD FO CAR are also being prepared who will be in-charge of Camp Coordination and Camp Management, Relief Operations, Psychosocial Support/Psychosocial First Aid, Planning and DROMIC Reporting, and Warehouse Management.

The teams and FFPs for augmentation are eyed to be deployed to the affected regions in Visayas and Mindanao.

Moreover, in the continuous efforts of the Agency to help affected population in the onslaught of the typhoon, DSWD FO CAR is conducting a donation drive dubbed “Oplan Binnadang” from December 22-24, 27-29 and 31, 2021.

All donors can bring to the DSWD FO CAR Main Office located at #40 North Drive Baguio Citytheir donations of needed items/goods such as: new clothing (Pursuant to RA 4653), bottle water, alcohol, masks, gloves, and disinfectant spray, toothpaste and toothbrush, soap, shampoo, hair comb, nail cutter, shaver) sleeping (mosquito net, blanket, pillow, sleeping mat/banig, and malong), and kitchen (plate, spoon, fork, casserole, frying pan, ladle) kits and flashlight with batteries.

In accordance with Section 6.1.4 of ROO No. 2, Series of 2021 of DSWD FO CAR, all food and non-food items are acceptable except for the following items: food items expiring in less than six (6) months from the date of acceptance for local in-kind donations offered, facilitated and received during emergency/disaster relief operations, subject to immediate distribution; food items expiring in less than one (1) year from date of foreign in-kind donations; Formula milk; Used clothing; toys that did not pass Food and Drug Administration standard; Educational Materials regulated by Department of Education; furniture and equipment regulated by Department of National Defense and National Economic and Development Authority; and any donations, services or favor from Tobacco Authority. food commodities/medicines with no appropriate labels/indicated expiration date, shall be subjected to BFAD testing to ensure fitness for consumption. In the absence of BFAD, samples of commodities shall be forwarded to the Central Office for testing while food commodities with deteriorating/peculiar appearance regardless of expiration date shall not be accepted for safety reasons.

In a recent memorandum from DSWD Undersecretary for Disaster Response Management Group Felicisimo Budiongan, DSWD FOs may utilize their respective standby funds for the mobilization of logistics and other operational cost for the augmentation of FNIs to DSWD FOs affected by the Typhoon.

To recall, on December 18, Officials of Department of Social Welfare and Development Luzon Cluster of the DSWD Luzon Cluster sign Resolution No. 001 Series of 2021 establishing the DSWD Field Office Inter-Regional Cooperation and Support.

It is an initiative introduced by Regional Director Garcia as he recognized the importance of cooperation and support of every region in the development processes, mechanisms and strategies in the delivery of Social Protection programs and services to the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged population.

The signing of the resolution was attended by DSWD CAR Director Garcia, CESO II, DSWD NCR Regional Director Vicente Gregorio B. Tomas, DSWD FO Regional Director I Marie Angela S. Gopalan, CESO III, DSWD FO II Regional Director Cezario Joel C.Espejo, DSWD FO III Regional Director Marites M. Maristela, CESO III, DSWD FO IV-A Regional Director Marcelo Nicomedes J. Castillo, CESO III, DSWD FO IV-B Regional Director Fernando R. De Villa Jr. CESO III, DSWD FO V OIC-Regional Director Leo L. Quintilla CESE, together with DSWD Undersecretary Danilo G. Pamonag, Undersecretary Rene Glen O. Paje, and DSWD Spokesperson Director Irene Dumlao.

Under the resolution, the Inter-Regional Cooperation and Support is composed of DSWD Field Offices within Luzon of which said offices shall mutually inter operate to address common concerns and challenges and recommend solutions as well as increase effectiveness and impact of service delivery by pooling and maximizing resources.

The Inter-Regional Cooperation and Support following functions: 1) Engage in inter-regional exchanges in terms of knowledge management sharing and staff development through field visits, management retreats, cluster consultations, joint trainings; 2) Conduct periodic consultations and/or meetings to discuss, review and assess cooperation activities, and; 3) Provide inter regional technical assistance and resource augmentation to strengthen timely social services delivery among the regions. //