FOOD-FOR-WORK. El Niño-affected farmer from Ligao City in Albay (left) receives family food packs as part of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Bicol food-for-work program, the department said Friday (June 14, 2019). The province of Albay was placed under the state of calamity last April 12, 2019due to dry spell. (Photo courtesy of DSWD V)
LEGAZPI CITY -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Bicol has provided assistance to the local government units (LGUs) in Albay province, whose farmers have been affected by the dry spell brought by the El Niño weather phenomenon.
DSWD Bicol Regional Director Arnel Garcia said family food packs were distributed to the farmers in the towns of Pioduran, Guinobatan, and Manito, and the cities of Ligao and Tabaco, who took part in DSWD’s Food-for-Work Program.
"DSWD provided a total of 3,160 food packs or PHP1.1-million worth, each food packs contains six kilos of rice, four tin cans of corned beef, four tin cans of sardines and six packs of energy drink or coffee sufficient for five members of a family and good for two days," the director said in an interview on Friday.
DSWD Bicol has coordinated with the provincial and municipal agriculture offices in monitoring disaster relief operations through its DSWD employees deployed in local government units (LGUs).
Garcia added that LGUs need to submit a project proposal and official list of farmers affected by the El Niño to avail of the DSWD’s Food-for-Work program.
"The DSWD field workers will facilitate the distribution of the relief goods after the proposed community work has been done by the target beneficiaries," Garcia said.
Albay was placed under the state of calamity last April 12. (PNA)
