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CEBU CITY: Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral
on Thursday said that the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) has activated 24-hour social welfare inquiry
desks for families of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars. The
inquiry desks are located at the Sulpicio Lines offices at the
Reclamation Area, Cebu City, and in Port Area, Manila.
“Critical Incident Stress Debriefing [CISD]
sessions are being conducted to the 35 family-members of the victims
to help them cope with their traumatic experiences. CISD is a
psychosocial intervention given to victims of traumatic incidents to
lessen the impact of the trauma by expressing their emotions,”.
Cabral explained.
CISD sessions are held under the supervision of
psychiatrists or psychologists to prevent victims of disasters and
their families from suffering post–traumatic stress disorder.
“Our social workers are currently coordinating
with Sulpicio Lines, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine
National Red Cross to address the concerns of the survivors and the
families of the missing passengers,” Cabral disclosed.
Disaster operations by the joint Regional and
City Disaster Coordinating Councils at the Abellana Sports Complex
in Cebu City have likewise been activated to provide psychosocial
interventions including CISD sessions and counseling, among others,
for the families of the victims.
Social workers of DSWD-Field Office VII have
prepared a master list and assessed 361 people claiming to be
relatives of the victims.
In Masbate, 42 survivors of a capsized fishing
vessel caught in the fury of Typhoon Frank have been rescued. DSWD-Field
Office V (Bicol Region) reported that of the 42 survivors, 28 have
been identified.
The local government of Claveria has organized a
community kitchen to feed the survivors. DSWD provided the foodstuff
from the stockpile allocated to Field Office V.
In addition, Quick Response Teams were deployed
to Claveria and mainland Masbate to conduct CISD and coordinate with
the Provincial/Municipal Disaster Coordinating Councils to locate
the relatives of the survivors.
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