DSWD says LGUS need to

Initiate 1^st relief operations

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol April 3, (PIA)—If, by this time, you still have to receive relief goods, that is because your local government units have not started using their calamity funds to help your community-quarantined people.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its warehouse manager for Social Welfare and Development Center in Bohol, Leo Hontanosas advanced this information following a DSWD policy that they would release relief goods only after the Municipal and Barangay Local Governments have used up their funds in their relief operations. 

DSWD also has relief readied which include food packs in 5 kilos of rice, 4 sardines, 4 canned goods and coffee sachets.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa PIA to clarify complaints of communities about not getting the government relief yet, Hontanosas said the LGUs must first distribute locally funded relief good in their operations as the DSWD resources are only for augmentation.   

As soon as President Rodrigo Roa Duterte declared the country under a state of Public Medical Emergency through Proclamation 922 in an effort to respond to the threat of the coronavirus disease, he also triggered the automatic release of resources meant to handle an actual or potential public health crisis.

Part of the funds which the declaration liberates is the Calamity Fund: a fund appropriated under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) to cover aid, relief, and rehabilitation services to communities/areas affected by the health emergency and spending it covers a range of allowable disbursements that include disaster relief operations, rehabilitation and other related activities.

As to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Joint Memorandum Circular No 2013-1, series of 2013, by section 21 of the Philippine Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Act, 

It mandates all local government units to provide an allocation of local disaster which is not less than 5% of the estimated revenues from regular sources for disaster preparedness and response.

A part of disaster response activities listed in the cited JMC includes provision of food subsistence to disaster victims.

Here, the DSWD points out, is a fund source that LGUS can use to put up their own disaster response operations.

Several communities however said their LGUs told them, the release would happen as soon as the LGU can determine there is a real need for the relief, considering that people still have food.

Reports said LGUs also want to spare their scant relief resource, especially when they know that the community quarantine is still going to stretch.

This too as several LGUs had done the second round of their relief operations, while others have yet to start. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

AFTER THE LGUS. While the DSWD assures a good supply of food packs for relief operations to the towns, DSWD Warehouse manager Leo Hontanosas said the DSWD would only give after the towns have released their share in the relief operations. Hontanosas came to the Kapihan with SWAD Bohol team leader Rhea MArei Tubongbanua, Jimmy Crusia and Jerome Madanguit. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)