Catanduanes: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Tuesday assured the townsfolk of Catanduanes province who were severely affected by Super Typhoon Uwan (international name Fung-wong) that the agency will continue providing support to meet their needs. Gatchalian visited Catanduanes to check on the situation of affected residents and assure them of immediate government assistance after Uwan struck the province.
According to Philippines News Agency, Gatchalian stated that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. instructed him to visit the affected areas along with the DSWD Disaster Response Management Group to assess the needs of local government units (LGUs) and the province. The President has ordered that no affected family should go hungry.
Gatchalian noted that the province requested 87,000 family food packs (FFPs), which they plan to provide within the next five days. He emphasized that the relief efforts align with the President’s directives to continue providing assistance until the residents of Catanduanes fully recover. Once the relief stage concludes, the focus will shift to recovery, with the DSWD remaining a key partner in restoring normalcy.
In addition to Gatchalian’s assurances, the DSWD Field Office (FO) 5 – Bicol has already provided immediate aid to affected families in all barangays of Catanduanes. As of Tuesday, a total of 53,705 individuals across 11 municipalities were impacted by Uwan, with 756 houses reported as totally destroyed and 4,322 partially damaged.
The total cost of DSWD’s assistance has reached PHP4,100,011, which includes 6,336 FFPs valued at PHP3.96 million and 89 non-food items amounting to PHP140,620. The DSWD’s FO-5 maintains standby funds totaling about PHP123.5 million and has prepositioned relief stockpiles to ensure continuous support.
To assist stranded passengers and families in evacuation centers, a mobile kitchen was deployed in Matnog Port to provide hot meals. The DSWD has also established Child-Friendly and Women-Friendly Spaces to support vulnerable groups, offering activities that promote psychosocial recovery among displaced children.
To enhance coordination, the DSWD activated its Mobile Command Center in Catanduanes for faster communication and assessment, while quick response teams have been fully activated to ensure continuous delivery of services.
