Upon the instructions of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is initiating the modernization and capacity expansion of the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City and the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City, Cebu, to further improve disaster response efforts.
“We embarked on a modernization and capacity expansion program of our family food pack (FFP) production lines in Pasay and Cebu (these two hubs service all the regions during calamities),” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian stated in a post on his X account.
He noted that previously, the two hubs could cumulatively produce 40,000 family food packs, but with the upgrades, they can now produce close to 70,000. “This will ensure even faster disaster response,” Gatchalian added.
The FFPs produced at the NROC and the VDRC will be allocated for prepositioning to various storage facilities nationwide. Gatchalian provided this update following his visit to the NROC, where he inspected the newly installed mechanized packing system.
The new system will enable the DSWD to produce more FFPs daily, ensuring that there are sufficient supplies available at any given time across the country. It includes three rice bagging machines for vacuum seal application, which extends the shelf life of the rice and protects it from impurities.
“To address issues related to tracking the expiry dates of supplies, the DSWD has also introduced a new barcoding system for better inventory management to ensure that every food box is accounted for,” Gatchalian explained.
Additionally, Gatchalian has instructed the creation of a system with automated notifications for the expiry of FFP materials, which will be sent directly to the Central Office and simultaneously to all Field Offices.
“All of these initiatives align with PBBM’s vision of faster and more efficient disaster response to benefit more disaster-affected Filipino families,” Gatchalian concluded.
