Cezario Joel Espejo, director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Region 12. (Photo courtesy of DSWD-12)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) has so far released around PHP211 million in emergency financial assistance this year to families and individuals facing crises.
Cezario Joel Espejo, DSWD-Region 12 director, said Wednesday the one-time cash grants were received by over 45,000 poor residents who qualified for the agency’s support or assistance to individuals in crisis situations (AICS).
“These are residents who are in dire need of immediate government assistance due to unforeseen circumstances,” he said in a report.
AICS is a continuing emergency government initiative that serves as a stop-gap measure to support individuals and families' recovery from unexpected life events or crises.
The beneficiaries are residents belonging to the informal sector and those classified as poor, marginalized, vulnerable, and disadvantaged.
Espejo said the agency specifically released PHP180 million in cash assistance and PHP31.7 million in food relief to the affected residents from January to September.
He said some PHP155.6 million was disbursed for medical assistance, PHP18.2 million for funeral support, and PHP6.4 million for the cash assistance to those who were affected by calamities, among them fire incidents.
The agency also distributed 65,428 boxes of family food packs to the beneficiaries of the calamity assistance, he said.
“Immediate help is necessary. The government is committed to standing with the people in need when disasters strike and help them cope with their situations,” Espejo said.
Early this month, some 300 families affected by fire incidents and storm surges in Barangays Dadiangas West and South here received PHP3,000 each in emergency cash assistance and a box of family food pack from the DSWD-12. (PNA)
