DSWD: Number of food boxes sufficient, on standby for Florita victims

There are sufficient numbers of food boxes for the victims of Severe Tropical Storm Florita, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Erwin Tulfo said Tuesday.

At a press briefing with other Cabinet members, Tulfo said over 100,000 food boxes for the storm victims were on standby in the Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley.

“We have sufficient… we have over 100,000 food boxes na naka-standby lang sa Regions 1 and 2. In Region 1, we have 20 million to 25 million AIC (assistance to individuals in crisis) na naka-ready din. Sa evacuation, ganon din. Naka-ready na ang evacuation sites with the help of LGUs (local government units),” he said.

As of 2 p.m., five areas in the country were under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 3 due to Florita - the northern portion of Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the southern portion of Babuyan Islands, mainland Cagayan, and the northeastern portion of Isabela.

Tulfo said the DSWD was monitoring developments in the affected areas, especially Isabela province.

“We’ve already alerted all of our regional offices sa CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region), Region 1, Region 2, Region 3. They are on standby now just in case kailangan ng tulong,” he added.

Earlier, Malacañang announced the suspension of work in government offices and classes at all levels in public schools in Metro Manila, and nearby provinces of Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Zambales, and Bataan from Tuesday until Wednesday due to the onslaught of Florita. — DVM, GMA News