More than two weeks into the Zamboanga siege, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is embarking on a better system in the provision of relief assitance to displaced families in preparation for the rehabilitation stage.
In an interview, Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said “DSWD is now incorporating changes in the disaster operations especially in the provision of food for the evacuees staying inside the evacuation centers. The Department is now gradually shifting from providing cooked food to providing food supplies to the evacuees and letting them cook their own meals as to how they most prefer it.”
Community kitchens are being set up in strategic areas of the evacuation centers in pursuant to this transition. In the JF Enriquez, the biggest evacuation center, community kitchens are established away from the tents to prevent fire and ensure the safety of the evacuees. The JF Enriquez is currently home to 11,979 families or 71,265 individuals.
The Secretary said that the DSWD will still continue to deliver hot meals for the displaced families until such time when majority of the community kitchens are established. Due to this gradual change in the food provision, the Department will also be decreasing orders of cooked food from the local food providers.
Aside from the changes in the relief operations, the Department is also shifting towards the rehabilitation stage of the disaster operations. DSWD is coordinating closely with the Zamboanga City Local Government and other government agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) for the rebuilding of Zamboanga City. This is also in support to Mayor Isabelle Climaco’s call for “one Zamboanga towards a better Zamboanga.”
DSWD has prepared a rehabilitation plan amounting to P3.89B which will cover the cost for continuing relief assistance for affected families for one month, Balik Probinsiya Program, Educational Assistance, Supplementary Feeding program, Cash-for-Work/Training, Construction of Bunkhouses, Shelter Assistance, and Livelihood Assistance.
Secretary Soliman said “since the President has released a budget of P3.9B for rehabilitation and early recovery, we want to implement ways on how best to respond to the needs of the affected families, especially in the provision of permanent shelters to those who lost their homes.” Presently, DSWD is closely coordinating with the Habitat for Humanity, Gawad Kalinga and the AFP Engineering Brigade for the construction of temporary shelters.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on October 5 in Barangay Taluksangay for the construction of bunkhouses, as well as in Barangay Talon-Talon for the construction of a two-storey school building. The school building with 20 classrooms is sponsored by Black-Eyed Peas Allan Pineda commonly know as Apl.de.ap.
As an on-going effort to prepare the evacuees for the rehabilitation stage, DSWD is conducting Family Development Sessions inside the evacuation centers, wherein around 5,000 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries are also staying. In the FDS, small groups of displaced individuals come together and share their experience and plans for the future.
The Secretary added that the “The needs and aspirations of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have to be considered for the Department to come up with a better and appropriate rehabilitation plan.”
Skills training is also being provided in partnership with TESDA. Presently, bead-crafts making and reflexology/massage training is held at the Livelihood Tent. All the bead-products made by the trainees, which are key chains and wallets, will be bought by the Department.
Psycho-social interventions, day care service and supplemental feeding are also continuously being done in all evacuation centers. Further, the Secretary emphasized that relief operations will still continue, as the rehabilitation plan is implemented.
As of September 29, the Department has provided a total of P99.499 million worth of relief augmentation assistance to the affected families.
Moreover, Mayor Isabelle Climaco, in a recent interview, expressed her gratitude to the President for his leadership and support towards the rebuilding of a better Zamboanga City. She also thanked Secretary Soliman for the Department’s rehabilitation plan for the displaced families of the armed conflict.