P3.6 million food packs shipped to Marawi City

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-7 has sent 6,600 family food packs last night intended for evacuees from  Marawi City, where a terrorist group recently launched an attack.

DSWD-7 Information Officer Leah Quintana said that a total of 10,000 family food packs will be shipped to Marawi City but only 6,600 will be released for the first batch, as there were only four wing vans that are available to ferry the goods from their Visayas Disaster Response Center (VDRC) in Barangay Casuntingan, Mandaue City to Iligan City.

Dale Armecin, DSWD-7 administrative officer, said that from Mandaue City, the food packs shall travel to Bato, Oslob, Cebu then to Dapitan, then to Ozamis, then to Iligan City.

Armecin said that since they cannot go directly to Marawi City, they will send the goods to Iligan City and it will be the personnel of the DSWD-Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that will distribute the goods to the evacuees.

“Ang ARMM na region nag-request sila sa atoa through sa Central Office sa DSWD.  And then ang Central Office, gi-forward nila sa amoang VDRC kay we are nearer man nila,” Armecin said.

Quintana added that the remaining 3,400 family food packs will be delivered today.

“Ang kanang 6,600 food packs expected na nga moabot sa Iligan City inig kahapon ugma (today). Unya kanang 3,400 expected pud na moabot sa sunod adlaw pa,” Quintana said.

Armecin added that each family food pack contains six kilos of rice, four canned meats, four cans of sardines, and six sachets of coffee, which is also known as the “six-four-four-six.”

Each pack costs P360.  This relief assistance alone amounted to P3.6 million.

Armecin added that the DSWD-7 Regional Office located in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City will facilitate those who will be giving donations. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, Jan Vhe M. Miñoza and Sarah Joy M. Escuadro (FREEMAN)