BARMM LOCAL OFFICIALS COMMEND DSWD’S 3 REGIONAL DIRECTORS FOR SPEEDY RESPONSE TO FLOOD-HIT FAMILIES IN MINDANAO

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Local officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) commended the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the speedy response of its three regional directors in coming to the aid of flood-hit families in the provinces of BARMM.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the commendation of the BARMM officials for the three regional directors was relayed to Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Secretary Antonio “Anton” Lagdameo Jr.

Those commended were Field Office (FO)-12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) Regional Director (RD) Loreto Cabaya Jr., FO-9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) RD Riduan Hadjumuddin, and FO-10 (Northern Mindanao) RD Ramel Jamen.

Among those who commended the three DSWD regional directors were Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr., Deputy Speaker and Lanao del Sur Rep. Yasser Balindon and several Maguindanao mayors whose barangays were among the hardest-hit by the floods.

“Congrats guys. Governor Adiong and Congressman Yasser of Lanao del Sur kept telling SAP Lagdameo how fast we were in distributing food packs. Pati din mayors of Maguindanao were commending our regional directors,” Gatchalian said in a text message addressed to RDs of FOs 9, 10 and 12.

Amid the heavy rains brought about by the southwest monsoon, the DSWD’s FO-12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), FO-9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) and FO-10 (Northern Mindanao) immediately dispatched their prepositioned family food packs (FFPs) to the BARMM’s flood-affected provinces that include Maguindanao del Norte (12,518 affected families); Maguindanao del Sur (45,117 families); Lanao del Sur (4,874 families) and 13,045 affected families in the “special geographic area.”

“Even if we have no presence in the BARMM area, we are using three Field Offices, we have Field Offices 9, 10, and 12.  So we have prepositioned goods in these three Field Offices, around 150,000, so we can augment and augment what you need,” the DSWD chief said during a press briefing at the Tactical Operations Group 12 in Maguindanao Del Norte on Sunday (July 14).

Lagdameo, who attended the briefing in Maguindanao del Norte, was the team leader assigned by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure the speedy delivery of aid to the flood-affected families of the provinces under the BARMM.

Gatchalian said some 23,000 boxes of FFPs have already been distributed in the region and another 10,000 will arrive on Monday (July 15) to complete the target 33,000 FFPs for BARMM.

“I am also talking, sending messages to Minister Jajurie (of BARMM) to make sure that the coordination between the national government and the regional government is seamless,” the DSWD chief said.

Gatchalian reiterated that the DSWD can provide support to the regional government because it has been the instruction of the President to always preposition relief goods ahead of the disasters and calamities.

“If you tell us that you need more, then, we can pull out from the three field offices. We are more than ready to augment your resources,” the DSWD chief told the BARMM local officials present in the briefing.

Gatchalian assured the BARMM of the DSWD’s relief augmentation support in their disaster operations for their constituents who are being affected by the effects of southwest monsoon that is prevailing in the region and other areas in Mindanao.

The DSWD chief was in the BARMM where he joined SAP Lagdameo who led the aid-distribution in ‘Habagat’-affected towns in the region along with Maguindanao del Norte Governor Abdulra of Macacua, Mindanao Development Authority (MDA) Secretary Leo Tereso Magno, and Gov. Adiong of Lanao del Sur and Congressman Balindon.

DSWD officials who accompanied Secretary Gatchalian were Undersecretary for Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG) Diana Rose Cajipe and FO-12 Regional Director Cabaya.

(el Amigo/mnm)