DSWD sending 20,000 food packs for Bulusan victims

By Ernie Delgado

LEGAZPI CITY --- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office in Bicol is preparing to distribute 20,000 food packs to families affected by the eruption of Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon.

DSWD Regional Director Norman Laurio announced on Monday that the first batch of 2,000 food packs was immediately dispatched by truck after the eruption occurred in the morning.

These packs were sent to families in the initial target areas, which include the towns of Juban, Irosin, and Casiguran.

Laurio also stated that the remaining 18,000 food packs will be delivered from the DSWD warehouse in Legazpi City to Sorsogon today.

Each family food pack contains rice, canned goods, powdered cereal packs, and instant coffee.

“The 20,000 food packs [were] requested by the provincial government of Sorsogon,” Laurio, who rushed to Bulusan town to personally monitor the situation and oversee the coordination and implementation of the department’s response efforts, stated.

At least 100 people have taken refuge in temporary shelters at Barangay Puting Sapa in Juban.

Laurio said that assessments of the affected areas are still ongoing.

Bulusan, one of the country’s most volatile volcanoes, began spewing ash into the air at 4:36 a.m. on Monday and ceased 24 minutes later, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to raise its Alert Level from zero (normal) to one (low-level unrest).

Ash from the eruption blanketed the nearby towns of Juban, Irosin and Casiguran, according to the Bulusan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

In preparation for a potential preemptive evacuation by local governments, Laurio has deployed the Mobile Command Center and coordinated the response team for camp coordination and management, as well as the team for internally displaced persons.

Additionally, Laurio has instructed all other DSWD field personnel to remain on standby for potential deployment. (PIA Bicol)

Cover photo credit: DSWD RO5