DSWD urged: Don't abruptly cease Yolanda relief

MANILA - Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla is asking the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) not to abruptly cease the distribution of relief packs to areas ravaged by typhoon Yolanda. Speaking to ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda, Petilla said more than 1 million people still need relief goods in his province alone. He said that while all towns in Leyte have received relief goods, the process of rebuilding homes will still take a long time. "Halos lahat ng bayan affected. Sira sira ang bahay at walang mabilhan din. Mayroon kaunti pero di sapat ang supply sa palengke," he said. In a separate interview, Petilla said residents should be given ample time to adjust to the impact of the super typhoon. "What I understand from DSWD is magbibigay sila ng food packs per family every two or three days. Siguro ang puede nilang gawin na gradual dito imbes na two days, gawin nilang three days, and then four days, five days. Parang gradual until mawala, para may time na mag-adjust ang tao," he told radio dzMM. Leyte is the province most devastated by the recent onslaught of typhoon "Yolanda," which claimed at least 5,240 lives, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The typhoon washed away billions of pesos worth of crops when it hit central Visayas on November 8. Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman earlier said the distribution of relief goods to typhoon-hit areas will not completely stop by January 2014. She said families that have no sources of income by the end of December 2013 will still be given relief aid. She said that in the coming weeks, the national government will help Yolanda survivors get back on their feet by giving them a means of livelihood. "Sa susunod na yugto, kumikita na ako. Nag e-earn na ako ulit. Pwede na akong mamili kung ano ang kakainin ko," she said.