DSWD: Damaged relief goods from Cebu won't affect relief distribution

Some relief items for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) were damaged while in transit from Cebu to Tacloban City in Leyte, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said over the weekend.

But the DSWD reassured Yolanda survivors this incident should not affect the distribution of relief goods in the region.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera also pointed out there are enough goods coming in from other regions.

Cabrera, who oversees the relief operations in Eastern Visayas, said some of the damaged relief goods were "inadvertently" released to some local government units (LGUs) in Leyte.

"Because of the urgency of the situation, the condition of the goods upon receipt was not determined, thus, we are requesting the LGUs to report to us any damaged goods received from this shipment and we will replace them," she said, according to an article posted on the DSWD website on Saturday.

The DSWD said the affected items included food packs that contain rice, canned goods, noodles and coffee.

However, it did not indicate the volume of goods that were damaged, or the other circumstances surrounding the situation.

For now, it advised the LGUs that received the damaged food packs to put on hold the distribution of these goods, even as the department is sorting the goods.

Once the sorting is completed, Cabrera said they “would be able to determine the volume of damage and will salvage items still good for consumption.”

The DSWD said the damaged goods will be reported to the Commission on Audit (COA) prior to disposal. — LBG, GMA News