USAID TOURS. Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian (4th from left, top photo) tours officials of the United States Agency for International Development and World Food Programme-Philippines at the National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City on Thursday (Feb. 22, 2024). Gatchalian explained to the visitors, including USAID deputy assistant administrator for Asia Sara Borodin (5th from left, top photo), the capacity and mechanisms used by the DSWD in disaster response. (Photo courtesy of DSWD)
MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has discussed possible collaboration with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) during a visit of officials at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City.
Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Friday said the DSWD is taking a proactive approach to enhance disaster response capabilities in Mindanao through a potential partnership with the USAID.
Gatchalian said part of the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr is for the national government to be proactive in disaster response, considering that some local government units (LGUs) still face challenges on how to swiftly respond to the needs of their constituents during calamities.
On Thursday, Gatchalian toured USAID deputy assistant administrator for Asia Sara Borodin and USAID mission director Ryan Washburn at the DSWD’s NROC.
The visit was facilitated by World Food Programme – Philippines (WFP) country director a.i. Dipayan Bhattacharyya, emergency coordinator Hannes Goegele and supply chain officer Joao Merencio.
“The paradigm now, which the President said, is that he wants a sustained effort from the national government (during times of disasters),” Gatchalian said.
For this reason, he said the DSWD has established “close to around 700 warehouses, we call last-mile warehouses” and continues to explore other infrastructure projects for disaster response.
“We get in trouble when we want to build a facility, let’s say in Mindanao, we have to do the lobbying, which I am doing right now. Now that we have the land, we have to do the lobbying,” Gatchalian said.
“It is always in terms of how much you can give to the people, not what you can build. That’s our restrictions in terms of budget,” he added.
Gatchalian pointed out the Butuan LGU in the Caraga Region has transferred the ownership of a five-hectare land to the DSWD, which can be used for the establishment of a warehouse in Mindanao.
He said it is high time to establish a mega warehouse facility in southern Philippines as “Mindanao has become a hotbed for climate change.
During the NROC tour, Gatchalian showed photos at the gallery walk, explaining to visitors the capacity and mechanisms used by the DSWD in disaster response.
Gatchalian also told the visitors that the DSWD established big warehouses such as the NROC and the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Cebu province after lessons learned from a long history of and extensive experience in disasters.
“This packing center [NROC], and the Cebu packing center were born out of Super Typhoon Yolanda, funded by international aid agencies, run by the Filipinos through the capacity building training that we get,” he told the USAID and WFP officials. (PNA)
