The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned more than 1 million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) to areas that may be affected by Tropical Depression Verbena.

In a statement, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the DSWD has 1,058,580 FFPs prepositioned across the country, while repacking operations continue at the Luzon Disaster Resource Center (LDRC) in Pasay City and at the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City to replenish stocks distributed during the past storms.

The DSWD spokesperson said the agency’s field offices in Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga are coordinating with concerned local government units (LGUs) to ensure adequate relief items are prepositioned in areas that may be affected by the weather disturbance.

Verbena made landfall over Bayabas, Surigao del Sur at 1:30 p.m. Monday, according to weather bureau PAGASA.

“As directed by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, patuloy ang aming communication sa mga local chief executives (LCEs) para masigurado na mayroong food and non-food items na present sa kani-kanilang mga lugar bago pa man dumating ang bagyo. Ito ay alinsunod na rin sa utos ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na siguraduhin na walang magugutom na pamilya sa gitna ng mga sakuna (we are in constant communications with the LCEs to ensure that food and non-food items are present in their areas even before the storm arrives. This is also in line with the directives of President Marcos that no family should go hungry in tomes of calamity),” she said.

Aside from relief items, the DSWD’s specialized equipment are already on standby for rapid deployment.

These logistical resources include a mobile command center (MCC) for on-site coordination, a mobile kitchen capable of providing hot meals to evacuees, water trucks to address immediate water supply gaps, and water treatment units to ensure access to safe, potable water.

“Sa atin pong mga kababayan, muli po kaming nagpapaalala na maging alerto at palaging makinig sa inyo pong mga LGUs upang mapanatili ang kaligtasan ninyo at ng inyong mga pamilya sa oras ng sakuna (We are again reminding our countrymen to remain alert and always heed the advice of your LGUs to maintain the safety of your families in this times),” Dumlao said. (PNA)