ILOILO City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6 apologized for the inadvertent distribution of contaminated canned goods and rice packs with insects to residents of Boracay Island.
“We regret the incident. We did not want that to happen. We put paramount importance to the welfare of the people,” said Regional Director Rebecca Geamala.
Citing DSWD-6’s initial investigation, Geamala said the contamination happened during the hauling of goods.
During the packing, these goods were in good condition, stressed Geamala.
The director also said the volume of contaminated goods was miniscule – .25 percent or seven packs out of the total 2,760 family food packs hauled to Boracay for distribution to people displaced by the island’s closure that started on April 26 this year.
“We ordered the immediate replacement of the contaminated food packs,” said Geamala, adding that DSWD was strengthening its quality control protocols governing these items.
Meanwhile, a total of 672 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in the three villages of Boracay – Balabag, Manocmanoc and Yapak – received their cash grants from DSWD as of May 30.
Gemma Santerva, project development officer for the Pantawid program in Boracay, said a total cash grant of P2.442 million for the months of February and March 2018 had been released.
The cash grants comprised of the P500 education grants for children in high school or P300 for children in elementary school,P500 health aid, and rice subsidy of P600, for each month./PN
