MORE than P281.44 million worth of humanitarian aid such as food packs and non-food relief items have been provided to communities affected by the continued unrest of the volcanoes Kanlaon in Negros Island and Bulusan in Sorsogon.
As of 6 a.m. yesterday, data from the Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication (DROMIC) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), showed that more than P258.563 million worth of aid has been provided to those affected by the Kanlaon activities since the December 9, 2024 eruption while over P22.877 million have been sent there since the April 28 explosion.
Family food packs and non-food relief items such as hygiene kits, sleeping kits, and kitchen kits were given to those affected by Bulusan, all coming from the DSWD, while those provided to the communities affected by Kanlaon include P156.225 million worth of aid from the DSWD, P30.43 million from local government units, P33.451 million from non-government organizations, and P38.456 million from other private partners.
A total of 30,276 families or 142,734 persons were affected by the Bulusan activities in 84 barangays in Sorsogon, which include 642 families or 2,433 persons who sought temporary shelter in five evacuation centers and one family or two persons temporarily staying with their relatives or friends.
In the Negros Island, a total of 22,680 families or 89,625 persons were affected by the Kanlaon activities in 30 barangays in Regions VI (Western Visayas) and VII (Central Visayas), including 2,502 families or 7,995 persons who are still staying in 20 evacuation centers and 3,722 families or 11,958 persons who are temporarily staying with their relatives or friends.
The DSWD said 5,025 houses have been reported damaged in Western Visayas due to the volcanic activities of Kanlaon.
The agency said it still has over P3 billion in standby funds as well as food and non-food packs on standby and ready for distribution.
On Saturday, DSWD field office VI in Western Visayas distributed food packs in La Castella in Negros Occidental while DSWD field office VII delivered and helped install laminated sacks for additional roofing for the shelter tents in the region.
DSWD Field Office VII also delivered additional food packs in Canlaon City on Friday and conducted teenage pregnancy sessions to raise awareness and promote informed decision-making among young internally displaced persons (IDPs).
DSWD field office V, on Friday, delivered additional food packs in Joban and Bulan in Sorsogon and in Magallanes and Bulan, also in Sorsogon, on Thursday.
