GOV'T AID. DSWD-Bicol continues to distribute family food packs and non-food items such as hygiene, family, sleeping and kitchen kits to families affected by the increasing activities of Mayon Volcano. The number of families affected has climbed to 4,396, which is equivalent to 15,658 persons as of Tuesday (June 13, 2023). (Photo courtesy of DSWD-Bicol)
LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bicol (DSWD-5) has reported that it has extended PHP29.3 million worth of assistance to families affected by Mayon Volcano's activities as of Tuesday.
Mary Gizelle Mesa, DSWD-Bicol spokesperson, said the combined assistance went to the provision of relief items consisting of food packs and non-food items for those who have fled to evacuation centers or the homes of their relatives after the alert status for Mayon was raised to Level 3.
"Our monitoring team together with our DSWD-Bicol regional director Norman Laurio visited four evacuation centers in Daraga and Sto. Domingo towns on Monday. We provided the needs of the evacuees like additional sleeping kits, safe drinking water and hygiene kits. We want to ensure that the Mayon-affected families were taken care of, particularly their daily needs," Mesa said in an interview.
She said that based on their report, 36,745 family food packs (FFPs) and 8,890 non-food items were already distributed to the affected six towns and two cities in Albay.
The number of families affected has climbed to 4,396 which is equivalent to 15,658 persons as of Tuesday morning. They are residents of 26 barangays in Bacacay, Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao City, Daraga, Tabaco City, Malilipot and Santo Domingo.
"Legazpi City has no evacuees yet since no residents are within the 6-km permanent danger zone (PDZ). They will start to evacuate when PDZ will be extended to 7-km," she said.
Mesa said 4,215 families or around 15,017 persons were being served inside 22 evacuation centers while another 181 families or 641 individuals were being aided outside.
She also said DSWD-Bicol has PHP1.9 billion in available relief resources.
"We have PHP220 million standby funds from the quick response funds (QRF) and PHP1.7 billion worth of stockpile composed of FFPs and non-food items," she added.
In its Tuesday bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said they recorded 221 rockfalls in Mayon Volcano in the past 24 hours. Lava from the crater flows down approximately a kilometer from the summit. (PNA)
