The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday reported that 6,000 family food packs (FFPs) have been prepositioned in the province of Batanes for families that may be affected by Tropical Storm Dindo.

As of the 11 a.m. bulletin, Dindo has left the Philippine Area of Responsibility. The center of the eye was estimated 670 kilometers northeast of Itbayat.

“Bagamat hindi siya magla-landfall, naaapektuhan niya ‘yung (we are monitoring Dindo. While it may not landfall, it will affect) Batanes,” Secretary Rex Gatchalian Gatchalian said in a press conference at the DSWD central office in Quezon City.

He assured the agency is continuously stockpiling and replenishing relief items in different warehouses in the country, even in remote areas.

“We continuously invest in stockpiling. As we speak, pinupuno na naman natin ‘yung mga bodega natin kasi nagamit during Typhoon Carina. Pinupuno na naman ulit natin sila hanggang mabuo natin ‘yung two million nationwide (we are refilling our warehouses that were used during Carina. We are refilling them until we complete the two million food packs nationwide),” he said.

He said the DSWD distributed over 1.5 million FFPs in three weeks following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon.

The DSWD, through the Buong Bansa Handa (BBH) program, is preparing year-round for the worst in terms of disaster.

“Kami, 365 days in a year, we are preparing for the worst… Ang tawag sa programa ng DSWD ay BBH. Ibig sabihin, naka-preposition na ‘yung goods natin nationwide (We are preparing for the worst 365 days a year. We call it BBH, where we preposition our goods nationwide),” he said.

The BBH establishes two parallel supply chain mechanisms for disaster preparedness and response, which enhance the capacity of the DSWD in meeting the needs of affected families in various disaster-stricken areas.

The first mechanism features a national and local government-driven supply chain that improves the production capacities and processes of the DSWD’s National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City, the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Cebu, and the warehouse and storage facilities across the 16 DSWD field offices.

For the second mechanism, the DSWD forges partnerships with established large and small groceries, supermarkets, manufacturers, and distributors to leverage on their technical expertise and resources to create a private sector-driven supply chain. (PNA)