By Xander Ledesma
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is planning to establish warehouses in every local government unit (LGU) in Western Visayas to ensure faster delivery of aid during disasters.
DSWD Regional Director Arwin Razo announced the initiative during a press conference on Friday, explaining that the warehouses will store family food packs and other essential non-food items for emergency deployment. “If LGUs have storage facilities, we can sign agreements to stock relief goods in their areas,” Razo said.
Currently, the DSWD has partnerships with over 80 LGUs in the region, many of which already house standby relief supplies. For LGUs with regional evacuation centers, goods are automatically prepositioned based on storage capacity. Razo emphasized that the DSWD monitors these supplies and rotates items nearing expiration through food-for-work programs, provided LGUs submit proposals for such activities.
The DSWD maintains major regional warehouses in Oton, Iloilo, and Bacolod City, along with 69 prepositioning sites throughout Western Visayas. These facilities ensure the availability of relief items for immediate deployment to affected areas.
This year, the DSWD allocated PHP365.2 million for disaster response in the region, reinforcing its commitment to helping families recover from calamities swiftly and efficiently.