DSWD gives P6.2-M aid to 1,834 ‘Auring’ victims in Siargao Island

Posted on April 23, 2021

DSWD Caraga Assistant Regional Director for Operations Jean Paul Parajes (left) and Dapa Municipal Mayor Elizabeth Matugas (2nd from L), together with DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group Rodolfo Encabo (right), hand over a family food pack on April 14, 2021, to a beneficiary, whose family was affected when Severe Tropical Storm Auring hit Siargao Island last February.

A total of 1,834 families in Siargao Islands who were affected by the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Auring last February were given cash assistance amounting to P5,502,000 and family food packs (FFPs) amounting to P773,948 for them to fully recover from the said calamity.

Siargao Islands, which is located at the northeastern most part of Mindanao, is part of the Surigao del Norte Province. Considered as the Surfing Capital of the Philippines, Siargao consists of nine municipalities namely: Burgos, Dapa, Del Carmen, General Luna, Pilar, San Benito, San Isidro, Santa Monica, and Socorro.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga led the distribution of FFPs and Php3,000 cash assistance to each identified families in these towns from April 13-15.

Each FFPs contains six kilos of rice, four cans of sardines, four cans of corned beef or beef loaf, and six sachets of coffee or cereal energy drink which is enough for two days for a family with five members

DSWD served 178 families in Dapa, 351 in San Benito, 50 in Socorro, 800 in General Luna, 64 in Burgos, 289 in San Isidro and 102 in Pilar.

Assistant Regional Director for Operations Jean Paul Parajes, who led the payouts in Siargao, said the assistance to the affected families would be a big help for them to get back on their feet.

DSWD Assistant Regional Director for Operations Jean Paul Parajes (right) leads the distribution of cash assistance to families affected by Severe Tropical Storm Auring in General Luna, Siargao Island on April 13, 2021.

Parajes assured that DSWD will continue to serve the public, especially in times of disasters.

Meanwhile, DSWD has already served a total of 11,627 families affected by Auring since February amounting to P34,881,000 cash aid through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Program.

Other towns served since February are the municipalities of Tandag (3,064 beneficiaries); Bayabas (998); Cortes (510); Cagwait (2,437); Gigaquit (427); Tubod (245); Claver (1,201); Placer (545); Tubay (286) and Nasipit (80).

In its March 5, 2021 report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total of 73,395 families or 272,451 persons in 606 barangays in regions V, VII, X, XI and Caraga were affected by the storm.

One person died, two were injured, and four went missing due to the calamity, the NDRRMC reported.