Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in Egypt
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has disbursed a total of P5.4 million in aid to support the repatriation efforts for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other overseas Filipinos (OFs) affected by the conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group.
Since the repatriation commenced on October 18, a total of 272 OFWs and OFs from Israel, Lebanon, West Bank, and Palestine have been assisted.
As of November 14, 14 batches of repatriates have returned to the Philippines.
The assistance provided by DSWD includes both cash and food aid. Each repatriate received PHP10,000 in cash aid and an additional PHP10,000 in food assistance through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.
The DSWD, in collaboration with other government agencies, is committed to a whole-of-government approach in assisting repatriates during these challenging times.
Additionally, the DSWD has implemented the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program to support families affected by Super Typhoon Egay in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). As of now, 84.6 percent of the 6,150 target beneficiaries in CAR have received ECT, totaling PHP6,000 per family.
The ECT program aims to bridge the gap between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support by providing unconditional cash assistance to families affected by disasters.
The DSWD is set to provide over PHP1.1 billion in ECT assistance to families affected by Super Typhoon “Egay” in CAR, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Mimaropa.
The DSWD, as the vice-chair for the Disaster Response and Early Recovery Pillar of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), assures the public of the integrity of the ECT process to ensure efficient and effective service delivery to disaster-stricken families.
(ai/mnm)
