MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed more than P719,000 worth of relief assistance to communities affected by Typhoon “Bising” and the southwest monsoon (habagat) in Northern and Central Luzon, the agency reported.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group said the assistance covers 1,068 family food packs (FFPs) and emergency kits delivered to affected local government units (LGUs) in areas experiencing heavy rains, floods, and landslides.

“Even when Bising was still a low-pressure area, we assured our LGUs that we will support their relief efforts, especially in areas forecast to bear the brunt of the weather disturbance,” Dumlao said. “’Yan at ‘yan rin po ang ginawa ng disaster response teams natin—sinisigurado natin na mabibigyan ng agarang tulong at kapanatagan ang mga kababayan natin, alinsunod na rin sa utos ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.”

As of 6:00 a.m. on July 8, DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) reported that 30,683 families or 95,910 individuals across 61 barangays in Ilocos Region (Region I), Central Luzon (Region III), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were affected.

In Central Luzon, 225 FFPs were distributed to flooded communities in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija. Relief operations in Ilocos Region also began on July 5, reaching residents in Narvacan, Sta. Maria, and Vigan City in Ilocos Sur.

Dumlao assured that supply levels remain adequate and that the agency is working closely with LGUs to monitor affected areas and deliver aid.

In Benguet, DSWD-CAR Regional Director Maria Catbagan-Aplaten personally assessed landslide-affected sites in Itogon and assured affected residents that support and monitoring will continue.

DSWD field offices in the affected regions currently maintain 493,457 family food packs and ₱9 million in standby funds for ongoing response efforts.