Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is eyeing a more localized and faster disaster response by establishing warehouses in smaller geographical areas.
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“Kaysa doing central, or provincial, or regional approach na nandoon ang warehouse and packing center, baka pwedeng hatiin pa ang mga mapa natin into smaller geographic areas for disaster response,” said DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian in press briefing.
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[Translation: Rather than doing a central, provincial, or regional approach where the warehouse and packing center is located, maybe our maps can be divided into smaller geographic areas for disaster response.]
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“May hub tayo ng mga malalaking warehouse in the regional and provincial, then may sub-hubs tayo na maliliit na mga warehouses, packing centers, distribution centers in the municipalities or in the smaller areas,” he added.
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[Translation: We have hubs for bigger warehouses in the regional or provincial locations, then we have sub-hubs with smaller warehouses, packing centers, distribution centers located in the municipalities or in the smaller areas.]
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Gatchalian said they will soon identify the target locations for the smaller distribution points for relief goods and assistance using a geohazard map.
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The newly-appointed secretary also promised to tap the private sector in disaster response. Gatchalian explained that he again contacted the logistics experts introduced to him by then vaccine czar Carlito Galvez and testing czar Vince Dizon.
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