The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is ensuring that Typhoon Pablo displaced families get their fair share of international donations.
In an interview, DSWD Assistant Secretary for Institutional Development Vilma Cabrera said DSWD determines the allocation by taking into consideration the number of displaced families vis-à-vis the number, pieces or units of donated items whether or non-food.
“What we did is allocate it in accordance with the percentage share of the municipality so that we will not be judged of giving priority to any specific municipality,” she said specifically referring to donations coming for international humanitarian agencies, foreign groups and foreign governments.
Foreign food donations such as rice and canned goods are repacked into family food packs while non-food items are released to towns but DSWD is making sure that allocation of limited items are fairly distributed based on percentage share of the town according to the number of displaced or affected families.
Meanwhile, distribution of donations of very limited number such as generator sets depends on the extent of the need and on specific requirements of the local government.
“We prioritize (distribution of) gen-sets to where the hospitals are to sustain their need,” she said while also explaining that presence of health units in a municipality also calls for entitlement of donations such as generator sets.
Having worked with previous disaster operations of DSWD, Cabrera bared efforts of DSWD to push forward priority needs of affected communities and typhoon displaced individuals by bringing out such concern during humanitarian agency meetings.
“We brief them of the needs, constraints and gaps,” referring to the United Nations agencies and other international organizations.
Meanwhile, DSWD Regional Director Priscilla Razon bared recent foreign donations from the Network of Filipino Churches of Singapore which turned over to DSWD assorted food and non-food items valued at SGD$589,144.
She also revealed that the Indonesian and the Malaysian governments are set to do a second round of relief turn-over to DSWD while the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will also be handing over additional donations.
DSWD is also expecting donations from the central office of DSWD to be shipped by Green Peace in January next year.
On the other hand, DSWD XI data of foreign donations revealed acceptance of donations starting December 7, 2012, coming from the government of Malaysia while donated items from Singapore were received on Dec. 8.
Last Dec. 11, DSWD XI received donations from Dubai, United Arab Emirate and from the USAID; Dec. 13 from Itochu Corp of Japan and from DOLE Korea; Dec. 14, from Malaysia-Royal Malaysian Airforce and from World Food Program-Subang, Malaysia; and on Dec. 15 from Irish Aid-Plan International.
On Dec. 16, Itochu Corp of Japan did another round of donation turn-over to DSWD XI while DOLE Japan again handed over assorted goods on Dec. 17.
The Malaysian government handed over another set of donations on Dec. 18 while on the same day the World Food Programme delivered additional items of priority needs of affected communities.
Other than food and water, donations also included blanket, towels, plastic/tarpaulin sheets, tents, water filtration machine, water cans, soaps, spades, pickaxes, backpack, emergency kits, shelter tool kits, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, generator sets, flood light with generator set, prefab warehouse, tool kits, aircon unit for prefab house, among others. [PIA 11/Jeanevive D. Abangan]
0 Comments
Oldest