BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released more than ₱6.11 million in relief and financial assistance to families in the Cordillera Administrative Region affected by relentless rains from the southwest monsoon, or Habagat, and recent tropical cyclones.
The aid, released through DSWD-CAR as of August 12, 2026, includes food packs, drinking water, emergency supplies, non-food items and cash assistance for families whose homes and livelihoods were affected by the severe weather.
The latest intervention comes as the Cordillera continues to deal with landslides, evacuations and damage caused by days of heavy rainfall.
Where the ₱6.11 million went
According to DSWD-CAR, approximately ₱4.25 million of the assistance went to family food packs, ready-to-eat food, bottled water, modular tents, laminated sacks and essential non-food supplies.
These included hygiene kits, family kits, kitchen kits and sleeping kits intended to meet the immediate needs of displaced and affected households.
Additional assistance was released through the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.
The agency reported providing:
- ₱180,000 in cash assistance;
- ₱918,000 worth of food assistance;
- ₱20,000 for two families whose houses were totally destroyed; and
- ₱250,000 for 50 households whose homes were partially damaged.
DSWD also provided immediate cash assistance and burial benefits to families who lost loved ones in the disaster.
More than 67,000 people affected
The scale of the disaster extends far beyond the relief distribution.
Based on the August 13 DSWD-CAR situation report, a total of 25,540 families, or 67,589 individuals, had been affected by the combined impact of recent tropical cyclones and the enhanced Habagat.
The agency recorded 14 totally damaged houses and 207 partially damaged houses.
At the time of the report, 227 families remained displaced. Of these, 98 families, or 368 people, were staying in evacuation centers, while another 129 families, or 477 individuals, were staying with relatives or friends.
Baguio landslide exposes the danger
The relief effort intensified following a deadly landslide in Barangay Guisad Surong, Baguio City, on August 9.
The landslide buried three houses amid persistent heavy rainfall. After search-and-rescue operations concluded, authorities reported that 10 people had died while three survived.
The tragedy underscored the continuing danger facing communities in the mountainous Cordillera, where prolonged rainfall can saturate slopes and trigger landslides.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian visited Baguio City on August 11, where he met injured residents, visited the wake of victims and inspected the landslide site and an evacuation center. He also checked the needs of affected families and turned over relief assistance.
The disaster was not an isolated incident.
Earlier, on August 6, a landslide in Barangay Shilan, La Trinidad, Benguet, killed two people and injured another. DSWD-CAR subsequently provided initial financial assistance to the victims’ families and began processing additional burial assistance.
Cordillera infrastructure also takes a hit
The humanitarian crisis is unfolding alongside major infrastructure damage.
The Philippine News Agency reported that continuous rains from two tropical cyclones and the enhanced southwest monsoon had caused an estimated ₱950 million in infrastructure damage in the Cordillera.
Meanwhile, several roads remained affected by landslides, adding another challenge to communities and authorities trying to move people, supplies and emergency equipment through the region.
The wider weather emergency has also affected millions of Filipinos beyond the Cordillera. ABS-CBN News reported that more than 4.1 million people had been affected by Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay and the enhanced Habagat, highlighting the nationwide scale of the ongoing disaster response.
DSWD keeps relief operations moving
The DSWD has said its disaster response teams remain on alert as the weather situation continues to affect communities.
The agency has emphasized that relief supplies remain available in its warehouses and that assistance will continue to be delivered to affected families.
For Cordillera residents already displaced by flooding and landslides, however, the ₱6.11-million response is only part of the recovery effort.
With dozens of families still displaced, hundreds of houses damaged and infrastructure battered by days of rain, the immediate challenge is no longer simply getting through one storm.
It is keeping vulnerable communities safe while the ground remains saturated and the threat of additional landslides and severe weather continues.
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