The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on Friday entered into an agreement to make ready-to-eat food (RTEF) packs available in seaports nationwide ahead of disasters.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and PPA General Manager Jay Santiago signed the agreement that will allow the DSWD to preposition the RTEF in PPA-managed facilities nationwide.

The collaboration will result in a faster and more efficient relief response when disasters strike and passengers get stranded in ports due to sea transport disruptions.

“This partnership with the DSWD is more than just about logistics — it is about delivering immediate relief to the most vulnerable during disasters. By utilizing our ports as access points for food distribution, we helped ensure that no one goes hungry while stranded or displaced,” Santiago said.

In previous instances of stranded passengers at PPA ports, the agency implemented “lugaw” (porridge) distribution through funds donated by PPA employees.

The RTEF packs were developed through a year-long collaboration between the DSWD and the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI).

The food packs contain ready-to-eat items such as tuna paella, chicken pastil, arroz caldo, champorado, high-protein biscuits, and complementary infant food.

The RTEF will form part of the DSWD’s relief items which will be distributed to affected families within 24 to 48 hours after the onset of a disaster.

The DSWD has, so far, produced 120,000 boxes of RTEF, up for prepositioning not only in seaports, but also in other agency warehouses and storing facilities nationwide for distribution to disaster areas, as necessary. (PNA)