Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is now preparing to implement its emergency cash transfer (ECT) program to support families affected by Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi) in coordination with affected local government units (LGUs).

According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) emphasized that the ECT program serves as a crucial intervention, enabling affected households to purchase essential goods and repair materials for their damaged homes as part of their early recovery. The program’s implementation hinges on a trigger mechanism that requires a declaration of a state of calamity, confirmation of functional local markets capable of supplying basic needs, and a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDANA) Report to determine the necessity for extended cash aid to address the longer-term recovery needs of disaster-affected families.

The ECT program provides 75 percent of the regional minimum wage rate, multiplied by the number of days agreed upon with local government units, to support the early recovery of those affected. While preparing for the financial aid rollout, DSWD field offices continue to distribute family food packs (FFPs), ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and hot meals through mobile kitchens to areas hit by Tino.

As of Wednesday, the DSWD has already released over PHP69 million worth of humanitarian aid to affected families. Prior to the typhoon’s landfall, the DSWD prepositioned more than 2.1 million boxes of FFPs across the country, ensuring an immediate response to affected LGUs, particularly in the Visayas and the northern part of Palawan, where FFPs augmentation is currently being dispatched.

Assistant Secretary Dumlao assured the public that the agency is maintaining sufficient standby relief resources due to timely fund replenishments by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The DSWD is also calling for volunteers to assist in the preparation of FFPs at the Luzon Disaster Resource Center in Pasay City and the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Mandaue City. Dumlao encouraged interested individuals to proceed to the designated centers to help expedite the ongoing production of food packs.