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By FROILAN GALLARDO
Special Correspondent

SOCIAL welfare officials are resorting on porters to carry food relief bags for some 840  lumad families in San Fernando town, Bukidnon, deeply affected by the prolonged dry spell of El Nino.

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Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman said here Friday relief workers who have trek to the affected communities reported growing signs of malnutrition among lumad families.

“The lumads survived by eating root crops which still can be found but the protein and other nutrition is lacking already. Malnutrition has set in especially among the lumad children,” Soliman told reporters during a press conference here on Friday.

Soliman said they are using porters to carry each 35-kilo bag to make the eight-hour trek to the stricken lumad families.

“We saw the necessity of hiring porters for the relief supplies to reach the communities as soon as possible. Our field officers have reported  already seeing several  serious cases of malnutrition among lumad children,” Soliman said.

Aside from the direct food aid, the DSWD in Northern Mindanao is implementing the Cash for Work and Food for Work programs to ease the impact of El Nino among the lumads in Bukidnon and also in the provinces of Lanao del Norte; Misamis Oriental and Misamis Occidental.

Key priority towns where the programs were being implemented are: San Fernando, Kibawe, Impasug-ong, Cabanglasan, Kadingilan, Kitaotao, Malitbog, Quezon, Lantapan, and Talakag in Bukidnon.

Also considered as priority areas in Misamis Oriental are Claveria town and Gingoog City.

Soliman said the programs are being implemented through lumad tribal leaders and not the local government units to prevent fund misuse during the campaign season.

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