By Marie Joy S. Carbungco
BACOLOR, Pampanga — A total of 110 families affected by persistent flooding in Bacolor, Pampanga have received essential relief aid from the national government, as part of its sustained response to the impact of the southwest monsoon (Habagat) and recent tropical disturbances Crising, Dante, and Emong.
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian personally led the distribution of food packs, hygiene kits, sleeping kits, family clothing kits, and ready-to-eat meals to the affected families.
In addition, the provincial government, led by Governor Lilia Pineda, also provided the evacuees with hotdog sandwiches and bottled water.
“Ang instructions ng ating Pangulo ay no let-up. Ibig sabihin, tuluy-tuloy tayo. (The President’s instructions are clear — no let-up. Relief operations must continue),” Gatchalian said, referring to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ‘s directive for uninterrupted disaster assistance.
The 110 families from Bacolor are among the 615,000 families nationwide that have already been provided aid by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through food and emergency supplies.
“Laging tinatanong sa amin kung kaya pa ng DSWD. Kayang-kaya pa ng DSWD. Nakahanda tayo para sa ganitong mga pagkakataon. (They always asked if DSWD could do it. DSWD is more than capable. We are prepared for situations like this where disasters come one after another),” Gatchalian added, reaffirming the agency’s readiness amid successive disasters.
Flooding in several areas of Central and Northern Luzon has forced thousands of residents into evacuation centers.
With this, President Marcos also directed the deployment of standby medical teams in all evacuation centers to help prevent outbreaks of diseases like leptospirosis.
“Kapatid ng social welfare at relief packs ang medikal na pagtugon. (Medical response is the twin of social welfare and relief packs),” Gatchalian stressed, noting the coordination between the DSWD and the Department of Health under Secretary Ted Herbosa.
For her part, Governor Pineda expressed gratitude to the national government for its swift support, especially as many barangays remain inundated and local government calamity funds are limited.
“Kung hindi mag-aaugment ang national government, talagang hindi kakayanin. (If the national government will not augment our efforts, we wouldn’t have managed),” she said.
Pineda stressed that many villages in Pampanga are still inundated, and that prolonged flooding requires sustained support from the national government.
“Ang pondo na nakalaan sa mga LGU [local government units] para sa calamity fund ay five percent lang. Minsan ang isang bayan, 10 [barangays] ang flooded, thousands ang naapektuhan. (The allocation for the calamity funds of LGUs is only five percent. Sometimes there are 10 flooded villages in a town with thousands of people affected),” she said.
The governor also appealed to residents experiencing symptoms of illness amid the flooding to seek medical help immediately.
“Pakiusap lang po, kapag may nararamdaman kayong mga sakit, pumunta lang po kayo sa inyong mga barangay health worker, sa kapitan ninyo. Meron po kaming mga nakaprepare na gamot sa ospital…Wag nyo pong palalain ang sakit ninyo. (If you feel sick, just go to your barangay health workers, to your captains. Hospitals and medicines are ready. Don’t let your illness get worse),” Pineda said, urging Kapampangans not to delay treatments especially with exposure from contaminated floodwaters.
Meanwhile,53-year old Orieta Gagui, one of the beneficiaries, expressed her heartfelt appreciation on behalf of the displaced families.
“Presidente [Marcos], dakal a dakal a salamat pu kekayu. Ala kami man pung aligtas gamit. Malan mi man ala kami. May naawa lang po sa amin na nagbigay ng damit. (President, thank you so, so much. We have nothing left. We were not able to save any belongings, not even clothes. Someone just took pity on us and gave us clothes. We’re really very grateful for this aid,” she said in Kapampangan.
As floods persist and rains show little sign of letting up, Gatchalian assured that the national government remains on full alert.
“Sa disaster response, talagang naka-prepare ang pamahalaang nasyonal. (When it comes to disaster response, the national government is truly prepared — not just the DSWD, but also the DOH, and all other national government agencies),” he said.
The relief distribution reflects the Marcos administration’s broader commitment to leave no family behind, ensuring that relief reaches even the smallest communities battered by back-to-back natural calamities. (CLJD/MJSC, PIA Region 3-Pampanga)
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