Humanitarian assistance for communities affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao in June has surpassed ₱1 billion, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said.
Based on monitoring by the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring, Information, and Communication Division, food and non-food aid provided to affected families had reached ₱1.019 billion as of July 9, about a month after the June 8 quake.
The DSWD said the earthquake affected 391,891 families, or 1.655 million individuals, across 650 barangays in Regions IX, XI, XII, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Of the total affected population, 24,097 families, or 92,256 individuals, remain displaced.
The agency said 7,008 families, equivalent to 28,090 individuals, are still staying in 74 evacuation centers in Regions XI and XII.
Another 17,089 families, or 64,166 individuals, are temporarily staying with relatives or friends.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the national government will continue providing assistance to affected communities even as public attention has moved away from the disaster.
“They may not be in the headlines anymore, but the President’s directive is very clear: help till the earthquake victims get back on their feet,” Gatchalian said in a social media post.
The DSWD said it still has more than ₱4.988 billion in standby funds and relief resources available for distribution when needed.
This includes ₱644.23 million in standby funds and ₱4.344 billion worth of food and non-food item stockpiles.