Modular tents, maternity kits, ready-to-eat meals: DSWD overhauls quality of disaster response

The Marcos administration has overhauled the quality of disaster response, going beyond food distribution to ensure that evacuees retain their dignity and receive care tailored to their specific needs, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Saturday.

Gatchalian made the statement in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on July 25, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series.

He said the President’s directive was clear: it is not enough to say that evacuees have food and shelter.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) now deploys modular tents inside evacuation centers to give displaced families privacy, replacing the previous setup where multiple families shared open classroom spaces with no separation.

Child-friendly spaces and women-friendly spaces are also set up in evacuation centers to prevent abuse and ensure the safety of the most vulnerable evacuees.

For the first 24 hours after a disaster, before community kitchens are operational, the DSWD now provides ready-to-eat food boxes that can be consumed immediately without utensils or heating.

“Dati, minsan unang sakuna, wala pa ‘yung evacuation center, nandun na ‘yung mga tao, bibigyan mo ng delata, paano niya bubuksan? So ngayon, sa unang araw, may binibigay tayo na ready-to-eat,” Gatchalian said.

The agency has also deployed mobile kitchens, mobile command centers for connectivity, and water filtration systems for the first time at the national government level.

Maternity kits for pregnant women and newly delivered mothers are also now part of the standard disaster supply package.

“Ang mga materyales na pinapadala natin, specialized and customized for every vulnerable person’s need, para mabalik natin ‘yung dignidad niya,” Gatchalian said.