The Department of Social Welfare and Development has prepositioned 10,444 family food packs in Eastern Visayas for faster response especially during typhoon season.

Abelardo Bibat, DSWD Eastern Visayas regional information officer, said on Tuesday they have prepositioned goods in strategic locations in anticipation of more requests for assistance from local government units after disasters.

Of the 10,444 food packs, some 6,481 are at the DSWD regional resource operations section warehouse in Palo, Leyte; 3,665 in Northern Samar; 200 in Eastern Samar; and 98 in Biliran.

“Storing food packs in different strategic locations before a calamity will allow us to immediately respond to requests of local government units since November and December is the typhoon season,” Bibat said in a phone interview.

Each food pack consists of rice, canned goods, and coffee, packed in a small box for one family.

Under the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, the local governments are the first responders and the DSWD is tasked to augment the response efforts after disasters.

Earlier, the DSWD in Eastern Visayas has completed the delivery of 24,767 family food packs worth PHP12.19 million to one city and 16 towns in Leyte and Samar provinces badly affected by Typhoon Jolina that hit the region early September.

The DSWD regional office said it has responded to all requests for food packs from local government units in the region. (PNA)