The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned three million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) in 938 warehouses nationwide in preparation for the rainy season and potential storms. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian stated that this initiative aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives to ensure the safety of Filipinos in storm-prone regions.
“Utos ng Pangulo na siguraduhin ang kaligtasan at kapanatagan ng mga Pilipinong madalas maapektuhan ng mga bagyo at iba pang kalamidad. Ipinapatupad ng DSWD ang Buong Bansa Handa (BBH) kaya may three million tayong stockpile ng FFPs para sa mabilis at episyenteng disaster response operations,” Gatchalian said in a statement on Friday.
The BBH program represents a whole-of-nation and whole-of-government approach, combining resources from both government and the private sector to enhance disaster response and protect affected families.
Gatchalian’s announcement comes as a low-pressure area (LPA) east of Eastern Visayas is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” bringing rains to many parts of the country. While the LPA has a slim chance of developing into a tropical cyclone, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has warned that the rains could lead to floods or landslides in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM, Soccsksargen, and the Visayas.
