TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero turned over today a total of 5,000 family packs and 99 hygiene kits from the Cordillera office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-CAR) to barangay officials for distribution to their constituents who were most affected by the three weeks lockdown when enhanced community quarantine was imposed in the city.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), headed by Ms. Susana Daluping, originally requested 17, 704 family packs on February 9, 2020 as the lockdown affected the livelihood of the city’s constituents.
Ivy Mariano of the DSWD-SWAD-Kalinga, said that the regional office prioritized distribution of the family packs and hygiene kits to twenty barangays with the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases.
“Idiay piman letter da (CSWDO) ket 17,000 (family packs) ngem ti inpriority ti region ket dagitoy high risk areas; so far, base idiay assessment da ket dagitoy nga barangay ti immediate nga maikkan ti intervention,” she said.
Each family pack contains rice, assorted canned goods, coffee and creamer. The hygiene kits will be distributed to individuals under quarantine at the respective barangay isolation units.
The twenty beneficiary barangays include Agbannawag, Amlao, Appas, Bado Dangwa, Balawag, Bantay, Bulanao Centro, Bulanao Norte, Casigayan, Dagupan Centro, Dagupan West, Dilag, Lacnog, Laya East, Magsaysay, Malin-Awa, Naneng, New Tanglag, San Juan and San Julian. Ten of these barangays will also be subjected to aggressive community testing from Feb. 18 to 22, 2021.
Meanwhile, since the pandemic started, the city government has been providing for the meals of those quarantined in treatment and isolation facilities of the city. As of today, there are 256 individuals under isolation and 275 more awaiting swab results in the City’s quarantine facilities.
Mayor Estrañero extended his gratitude to the DSWD-CAR and the CSWDO saying that the partnership of the city with other government agencies is essential in alleviating the impact of the pandemic to the citizenry. By Jayson Antonio
