In celebration of its 69^th Anniversary, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) committed to continuously provide assistance to families and communities affected by the Taal Volcano eruption last January 12. This commitment was made during the simple celebration conducted by the Department with the affected families staying at the provincial temporary shelter in Brgy. Talaibon in Ibaan, Batangas Province last February 13, 2020.

With the theme “Tuluy-tuloy ang Pagtulong,” the celebration was conducted with various activities including the distribution of food and non-food items to the IDPs, tree planting inside the premises of the temporary shelter and fun games for the families and children.

To date, there are 132 families in the said temporary shelter.

In his message to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) during the event, DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista reiterated that the agency will ensure the provision of support services to the affected families until they are back to normal again.

As of February 14, there are more than 100,000 reported affected families displaced due to the Taal volcano eruption. A total of 2,531 of these families are still staying inside evacuation centers across the province.

“Magtulungan tayo, katuwang ng ating LGU, ang susunod na gagawan natin ng paraan at pagtutulungan ay ang livelihood. Kaya ang hiling namin sa inyo ay ‘wag mawalan ng pag-asa at ng disiplina,” shared DSWD Assistant Secretary Anton Hernandez.

In previous years, the Field Office’s anniversary celebrations were conducted to recognize partners and staff who had been major contributors to the implementation of the programs and services of the Department. This year, the activity was conducted differently in consideration to the thousands of affected families in the region.#