MANILA: Individuals from all walks of life continue to flock to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City as volunteers to help in the preparation of family food packs (FFPs) for disaster-affected persons and families and individuals, a DSWD official said on Friday.
‘We would like to thank our volunteers for their invaluable help in our disaster preparedness and response efforts,’ DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Irene Dumlao said in a news release.
‘With their help, we are able to maintain the 100 percent maximum capacity of family food packs of our warehouses, ensuring that we have enough relief supplies for our disaster-affected kababayans (countrymen),’ Dumlao, the agency’s spokesperson, said.
The National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB), which manages the NROC, has recorded some 865 volunteers since the DSWD started to call for help last Tuesday.
‘To date, our volunteers hav
e already helped produce 59,151 FFPs.These FFPs will replenish those that were distributed to the families and individuals displaced by Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon,’ Dumlao said.
In a DSWD media briefing on Thursday, Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) for DRMG Maria Isabel Lanada said the call for volunteers is ‘for DSWD hubs para po i-replenish na ang (to replenish the )100 percent maximum capacity ng ating mga (of our) warehouses around the country.’
Arlene Queva, one of the volunteers, said she is happy to be of help, particularly in times of disasters.
“Happy po ako na nag vo-volunteer dito dahil masaya po dito kasama ang ibang mga nanay at ang purpose namin is to help other people, na iyung gawaing pambayan po, yung gawain natin na makatulong sa ating bayan lalo na po sa ganitong disasters na nagaganap po ngayon (I am happy that I volunteer because it’s happy here, together with other mothers. And our purpose is to help other people, to serve the public, to do our duty to help the c
ountry especially in this kind of disaster that is happening now),’ Queva said.
Aside from individual volunteers like Arlene, there are also group volunteers from government agencies such as the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Statistics Authority, and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, among others.
Private organizations are also among the volunteers like the Pusong Riders Group, Family Peace Association, and Members of Church of God International.
Dumlao said volunteers should be above 18 years old, healthy and willing to do work at the warehouse such as bundling of food supplies, forming boxes, and packing.
Before the deployment, a short orientation is given to the volunteers so they will know how to conduct themselves within the premises of the NROC, which is considered as the main disaster response hub of the DSWD.
Those interested to volunteer at NROC may contact Shara Lee at mobile number 09260612646 and email add
ress, [email protected] for scheduling.
Source: Philippines News Agency
