By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Government relief efforts for victims of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao have reached more than ₱837 million, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continuing to provide food, emergency supplies, and financial support to thousands of displaced families across southern Philippines.
According to the DSWD, humanitarian assistance has been delivered to affected communities in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as part of its ongoing disaster response operations.
The department reported distributing 726,425 family food packs, 17,625 non-food relief items, and 13,595 ready-to-eat meal packs to residents whose homes and livelihoods were disrupted by the powerful tremor.
Officials clarified that the reported value of aid does not yet include cash grants released through the agency’s Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program, which is being implemented separately to assist qualified beneficiaries.
To ensure uninterrupted disaster response, the DSWD said it still has ₱851 million available under its Quick Response Fund (QRF) for immediate relief operations.
In addition, the agency maintains a stockpile of food and non-food supplies valued at approximately ₱4.3 billion, which can be mobilized quickly should conditions require further humanitarian intervention.
Latest disaster monitoring by the DSWD indicates that the earthquake has affected 391,825 families, or an estimated 1.6 million individuals, across the impacted regions.
The department said it remains in close coordination with local government units and partner agencies to accelerate relief distribution while preparing for the longer-term recovery and rehabilitation of communities devastated by the earthquake.
ia/xf
