At least P1.4 billion worth of augmentation support, which includes relief assistance, early recovery and rehabilitation efforts, for victims of disasters in 2009 have been distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The augmentation support mainly came from DSWD’s disaster fund and quick response fund, the President’s calamity fund, and Core Shelter Fund.

The DSWD said the fund covered 3,033,410 families with 15,167,050 individuals affected by various disasters nationwide such as aircraft tragedy, armed conflicts, bombings, and explosions, deportation, landslides, conflagrations, heavy rains, high tides and waves, flooding, sea tragedies, storm surges, strong winds, tornados, and tropical cyclones.

At present, the DSWD continues to provide food assistance to 206,317 families considered as vulnerable to hunger as a consequence of cyclones ‘Ondoy’ and ‘Pepeng’ worth P197,154,500.

DSWD said a significant amount came from the World Food Program (WFP) through a partnership with the department.

The WFP has committed to provide continuing support for early recovery and rehabilitation from January to June, 2010.

To facilitate the recovery of displaced families, the DSWD implemented the cash for work (CFW) program to provide temporary employment to some 2,833 families from the National Capital Region and Region IVA (Calabarzon) worth P3.7 million in 2009.

The CFW activities include cleaning of debris in evacuation centers, dredging of canals and waterways, and repair of damaged community facilities.

Some 2,453 families from affected barangays in the cities of Quezon, Marikina and Pasig have been relocated in Southville 4 Housing Project in Sta. Rosa, Laguna; Southville 5A Housing Project, Biñan, Laguna; Towerville Housing Project, San Jose Del Monte Bulacan; and Southville 7 Housing Project, Calauan, Laguna. The DSWD continues to support the National Housing Authority (NHA) in relocating these families from danger areas in Metro Manila.

Also in 2009, DSWD facilitated the early recovery and rehabilitation of 72,139 families with 360,695 individuals in Mindanao leading to the closure of all evacuation centers in Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and North Cotabato.