DSWD: Food distribution to Yolanda survivors to continue after 2013 if necessary

Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman maintained on Thursday that the government's distribution of food packs to areas hit by Typhoon Yolanda will continue until the end of the year at least.

"Sa sitwasyon ngayon, tatagal ho ito hanggang end of December," she said in an interview with "Unang Hirit" host Arnold Clavio. If the need is still there after the end of the year, she said, "may bagong budget tayong papasok at pwedeng-pwedeng tuloy-tuloy [ito]."

Soliman also said that the department is currently conducting a food-for-work program, which will transition into cash-for-work starting next week.

She added, however, that provincial and city officials have asked the government for items such as materials and equipment for planting and fishing so that the people could start standing on their own again without having to rely on relief packs.



Soliman said typhoon victims in far-flung towns in Leyte no longer need to travel to Tacloban City to receive relief goods since government-owned vehicles are making regular trips to reach these areas.

GMA News correspondent Julius Segovia, however, said some residents in Tolosa, Dulag, Rizal and Javier expressed fears that they will soon go hungry since they are not being reached by government-owned trucks carrying food packs.


Since relief operations began on November 9, Soliman said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed a total of 987,423 food packs in Tacloban City, other towns in Leyte, Eastern Samar, and Biliran Island.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) earlier announced the deployment of Diskwento Caravans to Leyte and Samar this week to sell basic goods to typhoon victims at discounted prices.

In a statement, DTI said the products to be sold at the Diskwento Caravans include bottled water, canned goods, coffee, milk, noodles, rice, biscuits, and bread.

Other basic necessities such as detergent, flashlights, batteries, candles, rice, eggs, and dressed chicken will be added to the product offerings will be added to the list of items for sale in the caravans in the coming days.

The caravans made their first stop in Ormoc City on November 14 and were in the town of Maasin on Monday. DTI said the caravans' schedules for the cities of Calbayog and Catbalogan in Samar will be announced soon. — Xianne Arcangel/BM, GMA News