MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released a total of ₱49.66 million in assistance to families affected by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the Davao Region last week, an agency official said.

In a statement, DSWD Assistant Secretary and co-spokesperson Juan Carlo Marquez said the agency has distributed 54,660 family food packs (FFPs) to affected residents — 52,660 in Davao Oriental and 2,000 in Davao de Oro.

“In line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the DSWD, through the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, is committed to providing food, water, and other needs of our affected fellow Davaoeños,” Marquez said.

The DSWD has also prepositioned food packs in Davao del Norte for immediate deployment in case of additional requests for assistance from local government units (LGUs).

Aside from food packs, DSWD Field Office 11 has provided ready-to-eat food and non-food items, including family tents for displaced residents in Manay and Tarragona, among the hardest-hit towns.

As part of the agency’s ongoing response, the mobile kitchen of FO 11 continues to serve meals to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Tarragona. The DSWD has also begun psychosocial first aid sessions for quake survivors in affected communities.

Marquez expressed condolences to the families of those who perished and said the department has extended financial assistance to both the bereaved and the injured.

The DSWD is also coordinating with national government agencies, LGUs, and partners to assist hospitals damaged by the earthquake. It helped install Mobile Storage Unit (MSU) tents from the World Food Programme (WFP) to serve as temporary medical facilities for the Regional Medical Center in Tagum City, Carmen District Hospital, and Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital.

Marquez assured residents that the DSWD has sufficient resources for sustained relief operations.

“The DSWD has enough supplies and resources for sustained disaster operations. Rest assured that we have everyone in mind and the department is always focused on ensuring that no one will be left behind,” he said. (PNA)