The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned three million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) in 938 warehouses across the country as it braces for incoming storms with the onset of the rainy season.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said this is in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure the well-being of Filipinos living in regions prone to storms and flooding.

“Utos ng Pangulo na siguraduhin ang kaligtasan at kapanatagan ng mga Pilipinong madalas maapektuhan ng mga bagyo at iba pang kalamidad. Ipinapatupad ng DSWD ang Buong Bansa Handa (BBH) kaya may three million tayong stockpile ng FFPs para sa mabilis at episyenteng disaster response operations (The President ordered us to ensure the safety and peace of mind of Filipinos frequently affected by storms and other calamities. The DSWD is implementing the BBH that is why we have three million FFPs stockpiled for prompt and efficient disaster response operations,” Gatchalian said in a statement on Friday.

The agency’s BBH program is a whole-of-nation and whole-of-government approach that synergizes government and private sector resources, enabling the government to respond more swiftly and comprehensively to natural calamities while safeguarding the well-being the affected families and individuals.

Gatchalian’s statement comes as the low-pressure area (LPA) spotted east of Eastern Visayas is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon or “habagat” and bring rains over most parts of the country.

While there is a slim chance for it to develop into a tropical cyclone, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned that moderate to heavy rains brought by the “habagat” and the trough of the LPA could result in floods or landslides in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM, Soccsksargen and the Visayas. (PNA)