The national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has so far extended over P42.7 million worth of assistance to families affected by Tropical Depression Agaton in Western Visayas.

The assistance includes financial, food and non-food items as reflected in the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) of the DSWD and submitted to the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) as of 11 p.m. on April 17.

“DSWD has an exemption from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) so it can readily provide assistance to affected families,” said Cindy Ferrer, information officer of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and spokesperson for the RDRRMC, in an interview on Monday, April 18.

The DSWD that heads the council’s response cluster continuously convenes to discuss the other needs of families living in evacuation centers as well as the conduct of relief operations, she added.

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), on the other hand, provides logistical support since it is still waiting for exemption from the COMELEC in terms of providing financial and relief assistance, Ferrer said.

The DROMIC report showed that “Agaton” has affected 354,812 families and displaced 56,997 families; 14,161 are in evacuation centers and 42,836 are staying with their relatives.

The death toll in Western Visayas stands at 14 although four others were not yet included in the report since they have yet to be identified.

“There is one missing left from Panit-an, Capiz since the four others were retrieved,” she said.

The verified deaths were from Capiz with nine and Iloilo with five.

Families of the confirmed deaths are expected to receive burial assistance from the OCD.

Pending the COMELEC exemption, Ferrer said the bereaved families will just submit the names of the victims to the central office once their documents are completed for appropriate action.

Ferrer said OCD Regional Director Jose Roberto Nuñez, who also chairs the RDRRMC, has already been directed to deploy a post-disaster needs assessment team to undertake the conduct of a detailed and comprehensive assessment to be led by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), which is the vice-chair for rehabilitation and recovery.

Meantime, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, in a press conference on Monday, said the city government will provide financial assistance to affected local government units (LGUs).

“We plan to send part of our calamity fund to Capiz and other affected municipalities. If we have to wait after the election ban, we will wait after the election ban. But I think everyone should understand that the effect was big in municipalities in Capiz and northern Iloilo,” he said.

Last week, the local government also sent its City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office-Urban Search and Rescue Team (CDRRMO USAR) to Capiz to augment the retrieval operations of the provincial DRRMO.Perla Lena/PNA