FOOD STORAGE. Officials from the Philippine Army and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) check the warehouse inside the military camp in Catbalogan City, Samar that will be used as a storage facility for prepositioned food packs in this undated photo. The Army’s barracks at the 8th Infantry Division headquarters will serve as a strategic warehouse for the initial prepositioning of 3,000 food packs. (Photo courtesy of DSWD)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Eastern Visayas and the Philippine Army has forged a partnership on Thursday to use the military camp in Catbalogan City, Samar as storage for the prepositioning of family food packs (FFPs).
DSWD regional director Grace Subong and Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III signed a permit allowing the department to use the Army’s barracks at the 8th Infantry Division headquarters as a strategic warehouse for the initial prepositioning of 3,000 FFPs.
“Through this strategy, DSWD will be able to respond faster to the requests of disaster-affected local governments. While transporting goods from our regional warehouse in Palo, Leyte, we can use these prepositioned goods as an initial response to disaster-affected local government units within the area,” Subong said during the signing in Catbalogan City.
Meanwhile, the army committed to supporting the DSWD as part of their humanitarian assistance and disaster response mandate.
“We will make all our resources available to you -- our trucks, facilities, and even our manpower. Whatever resources we have, we will share,” Diñoso said.
The army camp is located in Catbalogan, the capital of Samar province.
DSWD already has prepositioned food packs in Allen and Catarman, Northern Samar, through a partnership with the Office of Civil Defense and the University of Eastern Philippines.
It also has prepositioned goods in Can-avid town and Borongan City in Eastern Samar, through a partnership with the Eastern Samar State University.
The family food pack, which consists of rice, canned goods, and coffee, can be packed in a small box for one family. (PNA)
