CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga, Mar. 26 (PIA) -- Food assistance has reached the doorsteps of families in the provinces who are affected by the enhanced community quarantine due to COVID-19, which is now on its second week.

Local government units were mobilized to provide immediate assistance to the people. They utilized their respective Quick Response Fund (QRF) and other resources allowed by law in distributing family food packs to the households to help tide over families who are suddenly without work, or cannot make a living because of the strict imposition of the ECQ where people are told to stay at home, and human and transport movements are restricted to prevent the spread of the COVID.

The provincial government augmented the assistance provided by the barangay, municipal and city LGUs with the delivery of food packs per municipality. Aside from Capitol's vehicles, six dump trucks of the DPWH- Kalinga District Engineering offices and one from the National Irrigation Administration took part in the delivery of repacked food packs to the municipalities.

Provincial capitol employees, personnel of some agencies, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and other volunteers helped in the repacking of food packs which contain rice, can goods, noodles and soap.

The provincial government has allocated P5 million from the P10M Quick Response Fund for food aid and the other P5M for medical and health logistics, Gov. Ferdinand B. Tubban said.

The Department of Sociall Welfare and Development Cordillera regional office also provided repacked family food packs which were delivered to the province with the help of the AFP.

All disaster risk reduction management command systems are activated in the province and taking active role also as frontliners,

Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry Provincial Officer Lino Cungihan informed strict monitoring of prices and supply of basic commodities is up as he warned traders not to take advantage of the crisis.

As of this writing, health authorities said Kalinga is COVID-19 free but Tubban appealed to everyone to just stay in their homes and follow what the authorities say to help prevent spread of the virus. (JDP/PAB/LL-PIA CAR-Kalinga)