A social worker of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) facilitates the psychosocial processing of children evacuees in Guinobatan East Central School, Albay.

To lessen the stress and trauma experienced by typhoon-affected individuals and families, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is consistently conducting psychosocial services for adults and play therapy for children in evacuation centers.

This is part of the social protection programs provided by the Department as the lead agency of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Protection Cluster and the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Likewise, DSWD, in coordination with local government units (LGUs), ensures the availability of child and women-friendly spaces in evacuation centers in accordance with Republic Act No. 10821 or the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act. The law ensures that children and pregnant and lactating mothers are ensured of protection before, during, and after the occurrence of a calamity or disaster.

The Department also ensures the implementation of the DSWD COVID-19 Operational Guidance to prevent the further transmission of COVID-19 in camps and camp-like settings during disasters and calamities.

The Operational Guidance highlights the presence of Barangay Peace Action Team (BPATs), Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT), Barangay Health Workers or Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BHW/BNS) and other local health units in evacuation sites to regularly observe the health status of IDPs and to monitor the entrance and exit points of evacuation camps.

Moreover, the Operational Guidance also ensures the availability of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities such as water systems, latrines, handwashing areas, or bathing cubicles, and social distancing markings in evacuation camps and centers.

DSWD also continues its provision of relief assistance to regions battered by Typhoon Ulysses. As of today, November 20 DSWD has augmented more than P70 million worth of food and non-food aid to local government units (LGUs) in Regions I, II, III, CALABARZON, V, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and National Capital Region (NCR).

Of the total assistance, over P18 million went to Bicol region,  P22 million to Cagayan Valley, P13 million to CALABARZON, and P7 million to NCR.  

DSWD assured the public that it will continue to ensure the provision of quality social protection services that uphold the dignity of affected individuals. ###