The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has intensified its relief operations, extending more than PHP6.4 million worth of initial aid to families affected by Super Typhoon Uwan, Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced Monday.

The assistance, composed of family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items (NFIs), came from prepositioned stocks in regional warehouses, hubs, and last-mile facilities nationwide.

“Even before Typhoon Uwan hit, we had nearly two million family food packs already prepositioned across the country,” Gatchalian said in a press release.

“These are separate from the 25,000 food packs we now produce daily to replenish supplies and support our LGUs (local government units).”

Gatchalian said they work closely with LGUs in delivering emergency aid to disaster-stricken families to ensure no community is left behind.

“There is no single area of concentration for our response,” Gatchalian said. “All victims are our priority. Every affected family matters.”

In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to guarantee food security during calamities, the DSWD has doubled its daily repacking output from 18,000 to 25,000 FFPs.

The agency has also mobilized its full disaster response assets, including a mobile command center, kitchen, water trucks and treatment units.

Contrary to public perception, these assets are not centralized in Metro Manila but pre-deployed nationwide for rapid response.

Gatchalian also commended the tireless efforts of DSWD’s 40,000-strong workforce, including social workers and field staff.

“They are the ones who actually power the Department, and I am very grateful to the 40,000 strong DSWD employees who are with us during these trying times,” Gatchalian said. (PNA)