WFP to send P164-M worth of rice to R-XI flood victims

By Carmencita A. Carillo

Friday 25th of January 2013

DAVAO CITY, Jan. 25 -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) XI is expecting the arrival of additional rice assistance worth P164 million from the World Food Program (WFP).

“WFP’s rice assistance will come in two tranches, the first one is expected to arrive tonight (Wednesday),” DSWD XI Regional Director Priscilla Razon said in an interview during the DSWD Partners’ Forum and Consultation held at the Apo View Hotel from January 23 to 24.

DSWD, however, said it has not yet arrived as of Thursday morning.

She said the rice assistance will come in two tranches and she is confident that “these will be enough to prepare us for other eventualities even if the disaster escalates,” Razon said.

WFP will send an initial rice assistance of 100 thousand sacks of rice at 50 kilos per sack. The second batch will consist of 50 thousand sacks of rice, she said.

The rice assistance form part of the food packs being given by DSWD to the typhoon victims in the Davao Region including those from Typhoon Pablo and those from the unceasing rains and flooding in the region.

She said the municipalities of Carmen, Sto. Tomas, Dujali, Asuncion and other municipalities in Davao del Norte have sought assistance from them because of the continuing rains brought by the Low Pressure Area and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) as advised by PAG-ASA since last week.

While Davao City has not been affected by Typhoon Pablo, last week’s rain and flashfloods have affected close to 15 thousand families based on DSWD’s registration list.

Razon said the Bureau of Customs (BoC) has turned over 391 bales in three container vans of used clothing to be distributed to 15 barangays in the city. These bales have been with the BoC for quite sometime, she added.

Despite the thousands of people affected by recent floodings, Razon said it did not have a very big impact on DSWD’s relief operations since “we are prepared to give assistance at all times due to our ongoing repacking at the Panacan depot.”(RGA/LAC/PIA XI)