Ilagan City, Isabela – The secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Rolando Joselito D. Bautista, yesterday arrived in the province of Isabela to monitor the preparedness of the region in response operations for Typhoon Rosita.

Secretary Bautista visited the Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Isabela to check on the status of monitoring of affected individuals and families throughout the province.

DSWD Field Office 02 Regional Director Leonardo C. Reynoso, meanwhile took the opportunity to brief the secretary on the status of response operations in the region while assuring the readiness of regional staff to do response measures for the storm.

As part of the visit, a meeting between the secretary and Isabela Governor Bojie G. Dy was held to discuss augmentation procedures that the agency can do to help the province before, during and after the storm.

The secretary will continue to closely monitor the storm and conduct initial validation of damages in Isabela with the assistance of Mr. Franco G. Lopez, Head of the field office’s Disaster Response and Management Division (DRMD), today.

As of 12 midnight of October 30, 2018, a total of 964 families including 3,381 individuals are in 59 evacuation centers throughout Isabela.

A total of 3,270 family food packs were given by the field office to municipalities in the province who are in the direct path of the storm prior to its landfall.

Typhoon Rosita made landfall in Dinapigue, Isabela at around 4 AM today. ### By: Chester Carlo M. Trinidad, Social Marketing Unit