DSWD relief, rehabilitation efforts for Pablo victims still on-going

Even as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) noted that families affected by typhoon Pablo in Region XI are back to their normal way of life,  relief distribution and rehabilitation efforts are still on-going.

“This is to ensure that initial efforts to help the families settle down are sustained,”  DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman explained.

Secretary Soliman said that cash-for-work, trainings on livelihood,  and provision of shelter and educational assistance will continue to be implemented to further uplift the condition of the affected families.

To date,  approximately P1.3 billion worth of assistance was extended to the victims of Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, and Compostela Valley. The assistance included foodpacks, noche buena packs, bunkhouses, cash-for-work, emergency shelter and educational assistance, as well as other food and non-food items.

DSWD implemented the cash-for-work program to help the victims meet their daily needs while looking for more permanent sources of livelihood.  They received P226 a day for ten days in return for doing community work. A total of 58,817 beneficiaries were assisted.

To complement the cash-for-work, the DSWD and partner agencies facilitated the employment of affected individuals.

This is through cash-for-training, “trabahong lansangan,” farm development cum vegetable production, food processing, mushroom culture, organic farming, massage therapy, and cosmetology, among others.  A total of 35, 483 beneficiaries were given employment through these initiatives.

In time for this year’s school opening,   the DSWD opened  its educational assistance program benefiting 512 students. The DSWD paid P2.3 million to different schools in the region where the students were enrolled.

Secretary Soliman said that the government continues to converge various services from the different line agencies to sustain gains  along rehabilitation of areas devastated by Pablo.

“For our part, we hired personnel to focus on the recovery operations of areas devastated by typhoon Pablo. They will be deployed to the nine hardest hit municipalities of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental,” Secretary Soliman concluded. DSWD