Social Welfare Sec. Rex Gatchalian —File photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned 3 million family food packs (FFPs) in 938 warehouses across the country at the onset of the rainy season.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said this is in line with President Marcos’ order to implement the government’s Buong Bansa Handa (BBH) readiness program, particularly in areas prone to storms and flooding.
“The DSWD is implementing the BBH that is why we have 3 million FFPs stockpiled for prompt and efficient disaster response operations,” Gatchalian said in a statement on Friday.
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The agency’s BBH program is a whole-of-nation and whole-of-government approach that synergizes government and private sector resources, enabling the government to respond more swiftly and comprehensively to natural calamities while safeguarding the well-being of the affected families and individuals.
Gatchalian’s statement as the weather bureau forecast heavy rain due to a low pressure area east of Eastern Visayas and the seasonal southwest monsoon.
While there is a slim chance for the weather system it to develop into a tropical cyclone, meteorologists warned of moderate to heavy rain could result in floods or landslides in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM, Soccsksargen and the Visayas. /cb