THREE field offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) began providing monetary assistance to families affected by a string of disasters that happened in the fourth quarter of 2023 through the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program in order to help them recover and resume their normal lives.

DSWD spokesman Romel Lopez said on Sunday that the simultaneous ECT payout in Samar and Mindanao conforms with Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian's order to guarantee that all disaster-affected families may recover quickly and restart their lives.

"The secretary's directive is anchored on the goal of the Marcos administration to leave no one behind in times of disasters and other emergencies," Lopez said.

Lopez said that the DSWD field offices in Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), Region 12 (Soccsksargen), and Region 13 (Caraga) had deployed staff to carry out the distribution in the affected regions.

In Eastern Visayas, the field office identified 123,133 people in Northern Samar who were affected by floods caused by a shear line in November 2023 and are entitled to financial assistance. The field office allocated more than P374.3 million for financial assistance.

As of January 26, the Eastern Visayas DSWD field office has already served 13,418 affected families in the province of Northern Samar, disbursing over P40.7 million since the payout started on January 19. Each beneficiary received P3,040.

In Soccsksargen, the DSWD assisted 6,210 families from the towns of Glan, Malapatan, and Alabel in Sarangani province whose houses were totally and partially damaged by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the province in November 2023.

The field office assisted 5,112 families eligible for financial assistance, disbursing over P75.4 million between January 18 and 25. Families with totally damaged homes received P27,180, while those with partially damaged homes received P13,590.

The Caraga field office, on the other hand, reported 5,692 households in Surigao del Sur had been affected by the 7.4-magnitude quake on Dec. 2, 2023.

It has allocated more than P71.2 million for ECT implementation across the province. Approximately 4,132 target families were served during the January 23 to 26 payout, which distributed P51.6 million in cash aid.Each family received P12,510.