MANILA — Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo has asked for cash donations to buy water for residents of Surigao City and four neighboring municipalities where water supply has been cut off since last Friday’s 6.7-magnitude earthquake.

It was the first time that Taguiwalo appealed for cash donations shortly after a disaster struck.

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While relief supplies are available, “there is no way that people can function well and survive without a steady supply of water for drinking and for other household needs,” according to Taguiwalo.

She said the repairs to the water system would likely “not be completed soon so we must prepare contingency plans to make sure that people in Surigao will have water to drink.”

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga office has so far delivered to the local government of Surigao City 3,100 bottles of water, at 6.6 liters and 4 liters each, worth P140,000.

DSWD has also readied 3,900 family food packs worth P1.3 million for distribution to the affected families, with 30,000 more family food packs to be flown in on Monday.

“Filipinos who want to help our kababayans in Surigao can donate cash to the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and we will immediately purchase more drinking water, which we will distribute to communities,” said Taguiwalo, who flew to Surigao City with President Duterte on Sunday to check on the aid distribution.

Taguiwalo said they would buy water from Butuan City.

Cash donations can be deposited to the DSWD’s account with Land Bank of the Philippines Batasan branch in Quezon City.

For peso-denominated donations, the account name is DSWD Donation under account number 3122-1011-84. For dollar-denominated donations, the account name is DSWD Foreign Donation under account number 3124-0055-81 and swift code TLBPPHMMXXX.

Taguiwalo asked donors to notify the DSWD either through phone or email [email protected] or [email protected] and to fax the bank deposit slip with the donor’s name, nationality and address at 931-8127.

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As of early Monday, about 1,600 families or 7,835 individuals from 60 barangays in Surigao City were displaced by the earthquake and required aid.

The affected families are staying in open areas near their homes, with some children staying with relatives or friends in unaffected areas.

Since most of the city has been without power since Friday, the DSWD central office sent 10 generator sets and 150 pieces of solar lamps among other relief goods such as 20,000 pieces of high energy biscuits, 5,000 pieces of mosquito nets and 5,000 pieces of blankets.

The DSWD said it has been arranging the transfer through a military cargo plane of a mobile water treatment facility from Maynilad and a mobile kitchen facility from civic groups.

The DSWD said it has so far extended P6.3 million worth of assistance to augment the supplies of local government units. SFM

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