The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Field Office (FO) in Region CALABARZON has provided assistance to the survivors and bereaved families of the people killed in a bus accident in Tanay, Rizal on February 20.
The tourist bus was carrying 62 students and staff from Bestlink College of the Philippines in Novaliches, Quezon City who are bound for a camping trip in a resort in Tanay when it lost its control and bumped into an electrical post while traveling along a curved road at Sitio Bayucan in Barangay Sampaloc. The accident killed 15 students and the driver of the vehicle, and injured 42 more.
DSWD-FO CALABARZON has given medical assistance worth P5,000 to the survivors admitted in Rizal Provincial Hospital who are still in critical condition and travel assistance worth P3,000 to 12 patients who were already discharged from the hospital.
The field office also reached out to the bereaved families of those who were killed due to the tragedy and extended cash assistance worth P5,000.
To date, the total cost of assistance provided by the Field Office amounts to P66,000.
To help the survivors cope from the trauma caused by the accident, the FO also conducted psychological first aid to the victims. Moreover, psychosocial support providers from DSWD Haven for the Elderly and National Training Schoolfor Boys (NTSB), both located in Tanay, and representatives from the Municipal Links and Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Rizal visited Rizal Provincial Hospital to assess the needs of the survivors and provide psychosocial support.
DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo expressed her deepest sympathies to the bereaved families and survivors of the bus accident.
“I am deeply saddened by this tragedy, which claimed the lives of several people, most of them students with high hopes and aspirations. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. The DSWD has started to provide assistance and will continue to extend additional help to the survivors and the relatives of those who were killed to help them recover from this difficult situation,” Sec. Taguiwalo said.
The welfare chief said that other than providing financial assistance, it’s also important to address the psychosocial needs of the victims.
“It is important to provide all the necessary interventions to the survivors and their families, including psychosocial support, in order for them to regain their normal lives,” she added.
The DSWD continues to coordinate with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Tanay and Quezon City for the continues provision of assistance to the survivors and their families.###
