DSWD: Over P2M worth of aid provided in Karding-hit areas

More than P2 million worth of assistance was distributed so far in areas affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Karding, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Tuesday.

In an interview with GMA News’ Unang Balita, DSWD spokesperson Romel Lopez said that P1.7 million of this amount was from DSWD itself, while P876,000 was from local government units and other partners.

Lopez said on Monday that a P1.1-billion budget was set aside by the DSWD for its disaster response and to provide assistance to people affected by Karding.

He said the DSWD's relief and assistance efforts are currently concentrated in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, National Capital Region (NCR), and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

About 249,000 family food packs have been made available for these areas, he added.

For people whose houses were damaged by the storm, Lopez also said that the P5,000 to P10,000 cash assistance will be provided to them under the agency's Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.

Affected individuals

At the public briefing on Tuesday, Lopez said a total of 122,725 affected individuals were being monitored by the department in coordination with the local government units (LGUs).

The DSWD spokesperson said at least 1,057 barangays were affected in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Bicol Region.
 
He said the department also monitored 31,354 individuals who were in evacuation centers in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Bicol Region.
 
At least 9,887 affected individuals outside evacuation centers were also being assisted by the DSWD, he added.

“‘Yun nga lang po napansin natin medyo marami rami po kababayan na nasira ang ari-arian particularly mga kabahayan,” he said.

(We noticed that many of our fellow Filipinos had damaged properties, especially houses.)

"Sa datos ng ahensya meron tayong 682 na mga damaged houses, 27 po rito ay totally damaged at ito po ay naitala sa Regions 1 and 3. Inaasahan na baka madagdagan pa ito lalo na pagpumasok at magpatuloy yung pagpasok ng mga detalye,” he added.

(Based on the department’s data, we have recorded 682 damaged houses, of which 27 were totally damaged. These houses were located in Regions 1 and 3. It is expected that this number will increase as more data becomes available.)

Lopez said the department has sufficient funds to continue assisting Karding-affected individuals.

Karding made landfall on Sunday in Burdeos, Quezon as a super typhoon. It then made a second landfall on Sunday in Aurora as a typhoon.

The typhoon dumped heavy rains and caused flooding as it traversed the Luzon landmass, before exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday night. —KG/VBL, GMA News