PREPARING FOR QUARANTINE. Luna Moscoso, chief of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6 disaster response and management division, says on Friday (March 20, 2020) that the DSWD is asking local governments to submit the list of projected families that will be affected in case the provinces in the region will declare enhanced community quarantine due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). The department has 21, 000 family food packs ready to augment local government units during the quarantine period. (PNA Photo courtesy of Luna Moscoso)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Western Visayas (DSWD-6) has asked local government units (LGUs) in the region to submit their list of projected families to be affected in case all provinces declare an enhanced community quarantine due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
While awaiting directives from its central office, the DSWD 6 has sent letters to the governors of Iloilo, Capiz, Guimaras, Aklan, Antique, and Negros Occidental; and the mayor of this city informing them that the department is profiling the poorest of the poor.
“It will be based on our National Household Targeting System. We are also requiring our local government units to submit the list of their affected families to us,” Luna Moscoso, chief of DSWD 6’s disaster response and management division, said on Friday.
The department expects the local government units to submit their respective lists on March 23.
Moscoso said the DSWD 6 also has 21,000 stand-by family food packs ready to be distributed when local government units ask for augmentation.
Placed on a national state of calamity, she said the villages, towns, provinces, and this city have access to their calamity fund.
“The last recourse is the DSWD for augmentation. Those who have problem that their resources were depleted, the DSWD will come in terms of food and non-food needs,” she said.
She said this city, which was placed on enhanced community quarantine on Thursday, can so far sustain its needs and has not yet asked for DSWD’s augmentation.
But Moscoso said the department is not “fully ready” financially as the health concern on Covid-19 is not an anticipated event.
“If we will look at the community lockdown, it is big (amount),” she said.
To add to its efforts, the DSWD 6 has already sent an implementation plan to its central office.
Moscoso said it awaits approval and will help the region to become prepared in case the whole region will be placed under enhanced quarantine. (PNA)
