Indigent residents in Iloilo City were the recipients of free reusable face masks from the national government which were turned over to their barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Iloilo City was provided 500,000 reusable face masks under the “Libreng Mask Para sa Masa” program of the Office President Rodrigo Duterte.

“President Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) 49 regarding the distribution of free face masks to indigents who could not afford to buy face masks,” Melissa Banias, chief of the Capacity Building Section of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), said in an interview.

OCD, whose regional director sits as chair of the Western Visayas Regional Task Force on Covid-19, is also the cluster lead for logistics of the program.

The identification of recipients was facilitated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in coordination with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).

In a media release by the Iloilo City Public Information Office, it said the recipients included beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), members of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps), vendors, drivers, and families belonging to the low-income sectors.

A total of 100,000 families from this city were identified as recipients; each family received five pieces of face masks.

“This program is funded by the Office of the President,” Banias said.

Apart from facilitating the transport, Banias said that OCD, on its own, has been distributing face masks and personal protective equipment to local government units (LGUs) and hospitals in the region.

Meanwhile, on his FB page, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas expressed his gratefulness to President Duterte for the free washable face masks.

The turnover of face masks also coincided with the distribution of assistance to individuals in crisis situation (AICS) to barangay and SK officials of the city.

The city government has allotted PHP5 million while the DSWD regional office allotted PHP2 million for the AICS.

“We always value the efforts of our hardworking personnel who continue to serve the community and led everyone to safety,” the mayor said.Perla Lena/PNA