The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is ramping up efforts to increase the supply of family food packs (FFPs) in its Field Offices 6 and 7, located in Western and Central Visayas respectively, as the threat of another eruption from Kanlaon volcano looms. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian has confirmed that starting Sunday, additional FFPs will be dispatched to the regional directors of these offices, Shalaine Lucero and Arwin Razo.
The Disaster Response Management Group’s National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (DRMG-NRLMB) has set a target to stockpile 100,000 FFPs across Negros Island, preparing for potential volcanic activity. Gatchalian emphasized the urgency of filling the warehouses in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental to their maximum capacity starting Sunday.
Recent updates from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) indicate increasing pressure within Kanlaon Volcano, which last erupted on December 9, 2024, sending a plume 3,000 meters high and prompting an Alert Level 3. Phivolcs has warned that similar conditions could lead to another eruption.
In response, Lucero has ordered a review of additional warehouse options to support the prepositioned FFPs, while Razo confirmed that the DSWD’s warehouse in Bacolod City can hold up to 50,000 food pack boxes. Razo is also exploring other local government unit (LGU) warehouses for additional storage.
Gatchalian has directed the DRMG-NRLMB to ensure that by Monday, 40,000 FFPs are delivered to Negros Oriental and another 40,000 to Negros Occidental, supplementing the existing stockpiles in these regions. He stressed the importance of maximizing the storage capacity around Kanlaon to be fully prepared for any emergency.