The response mechanism to cushion the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the vulnerable sector has been set in motion with the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development and the city’s barangay officialdom at the helm.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the OCSWDO headed by Betty Fangasan prepared the system of distribution with the involvement of all the 129 barangays to reach out to the families affected by the health crisis.
Fangasan said they are to conduct today the second rationing of the food packs provided by the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its regional office under the response cluster plan set in place in line with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s declaration of State of Calamity for the whole country.
The first operation was done early this week targeting 20,000 vulnerable households out of the 92,000 total in the city.
Fangasan said they based the beneficiary allocation on the list of priority households identified by the barangays.
However, the list is not fixed as the barangays can add more households to the list as they see fit based on their continuing assessments.
The food packs contain P450 worth of basic commodities.
Fangasan said the food supplementation will continue until their supplies last. As of now, their stockpile from the national government will be good for a month.
This will be augmented by the stocks from the city government and donations from the private sector.
Magalong added that next week would be more critical because people might be hungry and the problem may be extended to more than one month.
Meanwhile Lindi Hotel along Legarda Road has been offered to serve as a containment center for COVID-19 persons under investigationn(PUIs) with mild symptoms in the city. The hotel has 34 rooms and complete lodging facilities and the city can use it for free thanks to the benevolent owner. City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña and City Health Officer Rowena Galpo who inspected the facility recently said the city will work out the installation of the required medical equipment, houseekeeping system and other provisions needed to make it operational starting today, March 20, 2020.- Aileen P. Refuerzo