November 20, 2019 – Just as Typhoon Ramon was going through the northern municipalities of Cagayan province yesterday, DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista arrived and visited affected families in various municipalities of the province of Cagayan to check on their condition.

The Secretary visited Abulug town followed by stops in the municipalities of Pamplona and Allacapan, spending time listening to families and individuals about their experiences after the most recent typhoon to hit the Cagayan Valley Region.

Secretary Bautista also led the distribution of financial assistance through DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) to 2,316 families affected by Typhoon Quiel and the tail end of a cold front in Cagayan earlier this month whilst promising the constituents of each town that the department shall continuously provide support and augmentation as long as there is need to do so.

This promise was made in light of the successive storms that hit the region (TY Queil and TY Ramon) just this past week. Each beneficiary received P3,000.00 for a total cost of assistance of P6,948,000.00 distributed today.

In his statement, Secretary Bautista assured affected families of assistance based on the agency’s mandates and its existing programs and services.

Assisting the secretary was DSWD Field Office 02 Regional Director Fernando R. De Villa, Jr. who also expressed his desire, in behalf of the field office, to assist affected families and individuals.

“Tayo ay nakapagbigay na ng family food packs at iba pang non-food items sa mga apektadong pamilya dito sa Cagayan at patuloy tayong aalalay sa kanila ayon sa ating mandato sa DSWD,” Director De Villa, Jr. said. Dir. De Villa also assured the different municipalities that the region is prepared for the current disaster and those that has yet to come.

The mayors of the different towns responded gratefully and recognized the department’s effort. Mayor Jesus Florencio A. Vargas, the municipal mayor of Abulug, Cagayan, thanked the department and even recognized the commitment of the department saying that the officials of the DSWD braved the rain and wind just to give assistance.

As of the November 20, 2019 12 NN Situational Report of the field office, there are a total of 1,863 families or 6,046 persons temporarily staying in 120 evacuation centers across 18 municipalities in the province of Cagayan. ###