DSWD Provides Over Half a Million Pesos in Aid to Mimaropa Families Affected by Shear Line

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has disbursed an initial sum of PHP550,000 to support families in the Mimaropa region who have been impacted by severe weather conditions due to a persistent shear line, according to a statement from an agency official on Tuesday. Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao from the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) reported that the DSWD has delivered family food packs valued at PHP550,129 to assist local government units (LGUs) in Mimaropa, especially in regions suffering from heavy rainfall, flooding, flash floods, and landslides. A total of 692 family food packs were promptly dispatched to the region, with a significant portion, 472 boxes, allocated to Palawan, where the capital city of Puerto Princesa was hit with an unprecedented 352 millimeters of rain over a 24-hour period from February 9 to 10. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) noted that this rainfall was 12 times the usual amount for February, marking it as the heaviest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded in Palawan. In response to the crisis, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian instructed the DRMG to swiftly coordinate with the affected LGUs to provide immediate assistance to the impacted residents. The Field Office 8 in Eastern Visayas is also working closely with local governments and other agencies to monitor the situation and respond to requests for additional relief. As of the latest reports, the shear line has affected 34,692 families across 197 barangays in Mimaropa and Eastern Visayas, with 2,223 families, totaling 8,804 individuals, currently sheltered in 59 evacuation centers. The DSWD has a reserve of 208,544 family food packs ready for deployment in Mimaropa and Eastern Visayas to support ongoing relief efforts. Mimaropa includes the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan, while Eastern Visayas encompasses Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Tacloban City, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte.