More than PHP32 million in relief aid has been extended by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to local government units (LGUs) affected by the widespread rains and flooding in Mindanao and some parts of the Visayas, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Thursday.

“The cost of assistance immediately soared this high as the agency moved round-the-clock to provide immediate aid to disaster-stricken communities in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the families to have peace of mind amid the disaster,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

Since May 15, the effects of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) brought heavy rains to different parts of Mindanao, triggering flash floods and landslides.

On May 27, also due to the ITCZ, Iloilo City experienced continuous heavy rains that caused flooding in low-lying areas and barangays near creeks and riverbanks.

Based on the latest report of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Management, Information and Communication, 107,700 families, or 334,579 individuals, in 254 barangays in Western Visayas and the Mindanao regions were affected by the ITCZ.

Gatchalian assured the affected areas that bringing aid to all disaster-hit populations is on top of the DSWD’s priority, even in the farthest communities and those still submerged in floodwaters.

He said disaster response personnel in the agency’s field offices in Mindanao and Western Visayas are simultaneously leading the delivery and distribution activities of family food packs (FFPs) in coordination with LGUs.

“Barely 24 hours after the flooding incident in Jaro, Iloilo City, our personnel immediately went to the affected families there to check their situation and distribute family food packs,” he added.

Gatchalian assured that despite the continuous release of aid to the disaster-hit population, the agency’s stockpile is enough to sustain simultaneous relief operations in the affected localities.

“Our food packs are already prepositioned in warehouses in the region. The DSWD is also closely coordinating with the Ministry of Social Services and Development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao so that nobody would be left behind,” he said.

The DSWD maintains 545,806 FFPs and nearly PHP240 million worth of non-food items, such as family, kitchen, and sleeping kits, across Mindanao and Western Visayas. (PNA)