CSWDO explains distribution of relief packs

The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) explained that the provision of relief packs to individuals and families who are affected with the implementation of the granular lockdown will depend on their need for the same and the recipients will be based on the profiled list of indigent families in the city.

City Social Welfare and Development Officer Betty Fangasan stated that the local government is flexible in the distribution of relief assistance to those individuals and families who had been affected by the implementation of the gradual lockdown as the same also depends on the availability of the said relief packs considering the enormous demand for such following the surge in Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019 cases in the city over the past several weeks.

She pointed out that the relief assistance will only be given to those that are really in need of such because their source of income had been impacted by the ongoing pandemic aside from the fact that they have no other source of food supply during the duration of the lockdown in their places.

However, the city social welfare and development officer clarified that for those who can afford but they have no other way to source out their supply, the provision of relief assistance will be for the initial days of the lockdown while they will be responsible in sourcing out their food and other supplies for the rest of the lockdown period.

Fangasan appealed to the public to understand the situation where the available relief packs is limited unlike in the past where there were many donors that is why in as much that the local government wants to extend the same to all those who will be affected by the lockdown, it cannot actually be done, thus, the distribution of relief packs depend on the need and based on the priority list that had already been profiled.

According to her, it is the practice of the social workers to inquire from the individuals and the families affected by the lockdowns if they have the sufficient supply of food during the duration of the lockdown and if they will not be ready, there are available volunteers who will be able to help them purchase their needs.

She underscored that there is no reason for people not to be ready once their places will be under lockdown as there is already prior information to the people living in the area that there laces will be locked down a day before it will be implemented to give the affected people the chance to stock up on food and other basic needs.

The local government department head admitted that the CSWDO is trying to manage the limited supply of relief packs to make sure that the city will be able to have sufficient supply in the coming months and if there will be a demand for the same due to future surges in COVID-19 cases in the city.

Fangasan stipulated that the profiled list of indigent families in the city was realized when the government implemented the social amelioration program (SAP) last year at the height of the Luzonwide lockdown and what is currently being done by the CSWDO is to constantly update the same, especially when there are transients living in the different barangays, to ensure that nobody will be left out in the distribution of relief assistance during difficult times. – Dexter A. See