Davao del Sur – Grace Q. Subong, OIC-Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office XI, clarifies that all families affected by the series of earthquakes in Davao Region will be provided with appropriate assistance from the department.

 “Regardless if these families are outside or inside the camps, DSWD is still mandated to provide for them,” Director Subong said during her visit in the camps on Thursday morning.

This is in response to reports surfacing that only those who are inside the evacuation centers will be given assistance.

“Our goal is not to encourage families to flock in the evacuation centers. That’s why we have to also provide for the families in spontaneous settlements or those temporarily staying in the open space near their homes,” she added.

Data from the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) show that there was an increase in the number of families staying in the forty-one (41) evacuation centers in Davao del Sur. To date, the total cost of assistance provided by DSWD XI to the 18,549 affected families in Davao Region is P12,126,731.00.