The Department of Social Welfare and Development Office 5 under its Disaster Response Management Division (DRMD), in partnership with the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), started the implementation of the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) to families affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine happened last year.
ECT is a post-disaster intervention to support families affected by disasters and emergencies as they transition from immediate relief to rebuilding their lives. It allows families to address their urgent needs, such as purchasing food, medicine, and essential items, and to begin repairing damaged home or restoring their livelihoods.
On August 11, 2025, the program was first rolled out in Bula and Canaman covering barangays affected by the disaster. Over 600 beneficiaries in Bula with totally-damaged houses were granted cash aid amounting to 9,768 pesos each. Meanwhile in Canaman, over 900 beneficiaries with partially-damaged houses were given 5,032 pesos each.
“Yung bahay po namin ay nalubog sa tubig. Malakas po yung agos [kaya] na-wash out yung bahay namin. Yung ibang gamit nga po namin ay hindi ko na naisalba kasi bigas lang po yung pinasiguro ko. Nung bagyong Kristine, nagtaka kami kasi dati, hindi naman inaabot ng tubig yung bahay namin hanggang bubong. Na-trauma po talaga ako nun,” recalled 54-year-old Mary Jane Brandes, one of the beneficiaries from San Jose, Bula.
Brandes received much-needed cash aid for her totally-damaged home and expressed gratitude for the support, appreciating that assistance still came through months after the calamity.
“Malaking tulong po ito. Ibibili ko po ito ng bigas at ng mga [materyales] dahil kasalukuyan po akong nagpapaayos ng kusina namin. Nakakuha din po ako ng ibang tulong kaya nakabili na po ako ng semento at ngayon po, maipagpapatuloy ko na ang pagpaayos ng bahay namin. Maraming salamat po sa DSWD pati na rin kay Gov na natulungan po ako lalo na sa mga relief goods na binigay nila noon,” she added.
Following successful implementations in Bula and Canaman, the ECT program has now been rolled out in Baao, benefiting over 4,600 recipients. With a target of over 13,000 beneficiaries province-wide, the program is extending assistance to other affected municipalities, including Minalabac, Gainza, Pili, Tinambac, Ocampo, Buhi, Libmanan, Garchitorena, and Caramoan in the coming days.
Prior to the distribution, the Provincial Government’s PSWDO conducted pre-assessments of the qualified beneficiaries along with validation of the necessary requirements.
“It is very crucial na magkaroon ng inter-agency partnership between DSWD and the support of LGUs, [especially] the Provincial Government para maging maayos at organisado ang sistema at proseso ng ating mga partner-beneficiaries para hindi po sila napapabayan, at talagang nakikita sila at naa-assess yung current situations nila,” said John Miranda, Information Officer II of the DSWD-DRMD.
