Statement of Dr. Esperanza Cabral on the issue of
relief goods in the DSWD Warehouse
October 23, 2009
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) manages the National
Relief Operations Center (NROC) which is the facility for processing and storage
of relief goods that are purchased by the Department or donated to us by
generous individuals both here and abroad. The relief goods are released to our
Regional Offices or directly to evacuation centers or to the local government
units as they are needed and requested by these entities. They are delivered in
trucks, many of which were lent to us by private companies or by military
vehicles.
Some of the goods are shipped by air from nearby Villamor Airbase.
When typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng hit the country, we received and are continuing
to receive donations. Our warehouses are indeed full, inspite of the fact that
we have distributed 500,000 food packs and 200,000 clothing packs as well as
thousands of sacks of rice, blankets, beddings, and items of personal hygiene in
the past almost 4 weeks. That is the reason why when asked if we still have
enough goods, my constant reply is yes, so far we do, thanks to the many
kind-hearted individuals and organizations as well as countries who responded
and are still responding to the plight of the typhoon victims.
There are no rotting relief goods in our warehouses as we do not keep
perishables there and the relief goods that are there, save for the donated old
clothes are quite new since they have been either recently purchased by us or
have been just donated.
Our goods are repacked by volunteers who are there because they want to help.
But they are volunteers and report when they have time to help us. Sometimes
there are two hundred of them and sometimes there are only a dozen. However many
or few they are, we appreciate their presence and their assistance. Weekdays are
usually quiet but on Saturdays and Sundays, the students, along with others who
work Monday to Friday, including our own employees, are there.
Our staff at the warehouse work round the clock even now, making sure that the
requests for relief goods are met in a timely manner. They work hard, they work
quietly and they work humbly and I feel bad that they have been subjected to
public vilification that they do not deserve.
I do not recall having talked to an Editor of Philippine News. I do remember my
secretary telling me that someone was on the phone asking why there were no
volunteers working at the warehouse. My reply was we do not own the time of the
volunteers.
I wish that I could have prevented the deaths from typhoons but in fact, they
have nothing to do with the relief goods that we are in charge of. Most of the
deaths were from drowning or injuries sustained during the typhoon. Some died of
illnesses. We are not in charge of rescue nor are we in charge of health and to
the best of my knowledge, none of the deaths was due to absence of or delay in
the delivery of relief goods.
We would like to assure all of you that the relief goods will reach the intended
beneficiaries as they become necessary and will be used only to assist them.
However, the relief goods don’t all go out at the same time and an empty
warehouse is not proof that the goods were used properly just as a full
warehouse is not evidence that the goods are being hoarded. If you visit our
website www.dswd.gov.ph you will find updates on our activities related to
typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. It includes an updated list of donations received and
goods released from the DSWD warehouse.
There are many aspects of disaster response. They include recovery and
rehabilitation and in both instances, goods and other resources are still
needed. In the initial reaction to a calamity, people will want to help and as
we saw recently, they came in droves, offering their time, their talent and
their resources. We want them to know how much we appreciate them for what they
have done and what they are still doing. But further down the road, when the
initial flush of generosity gives way to donor fatigue, there will remain only a
few hardy NGOs and volunteers and the workers of the DSWD and other government
agencies to continue the job of helping the disaster victims back on their feet.
Judicious use of resources at the outset is imperative lest we face the
situation of even greater want after a period of relative plenty. We at the DSWD
wish to assure you that your trust in us is not misplaced. Thank you.
