ILOILO City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6 is urging local government units (LGUs) to establish warehouse or storage facilities to store family food packs and non-food items.
This will ensure swift response and augmentation of resources during calamities such as floods and landslides, said Regional Director Arwin Razo.
LGUs with warehouses can enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DSWD, he added.
This arrangement will allow the agency to pre-position family food packs in LGU-managed facilities, facilitating faster distribution to displaced families when disasters strike, Razo explained.
Having previously served in Region 5 (Bicol Region), Razo highlighted how frequent calamities in the area underscored the necessity of warehouse facilities.
Over 80 LGUs in Western Visayas have already entered into MOAs with DSWD for the storage of food packs, but he aims for all LGUs in the region to establish such facilities.
“We want to ensure a timely response to affected communities,” Razo said. “Currently, more than 80 LGUs in the region have warehouses and MOAs with us. Depending on the capacity of the facility, we can provide up to 1,000 family food packs for storage.”
Under the arrangement, DSWD stocks food packs in the LGU-managed facilities based on their capacity. These pre-positioned supplies enable swift and efficient distribution to affected families in case of calamities.
Razo pointed out that one of the main challenges during disasters is the inaccessibility of affected areas, particularly during floods, which hampers government aid delivery.
“To avoid delays, especially when communication lines are down or roads are impassable due to floods, having strategically located warehouses helps us address the needs of displaced families promptly,” he added.
If food packs stored in LGU facilities approach their expiration date, they can be utilized for food-for-work programs. LGUs only need to submit a proposal to the DSWD for approval, ensuring no resources go to waste.
Razo clarified that the warehouses need not be large but should accommodate at least 500 food packs. They must also be well-ventilated and pest-free to ensure the safety and quality of the stored items.
The initiative aims to enhance disaster preparedness across Western Visayas, reducing delays in aid delivery and ensuring communities receive the assistance they need in times of crisis./PN
