THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to remind the public that it does not repack nor switch foreign goods with local ones.
The reiteration came after variations of the issue on alleged repacking by DSWD of foreign donated goods circulate in the media and social networking sites.
“We do not repack the individually packed international donations that are sent to us,” DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman has previously underscored.
She explained that it is the responsibility of DSWD to check the donations sent to the Department that is why there is a need to open the bags and containers.
“We have to ensure that all relief goods particularly food items are fit for human consumption and are still in good condition. That is why we inspect the contents of the bags, especially their expiration dates,” she said.
In an earlier report, DSWD clarified that it had to take out bottled condiments from a set of relief bags it has received for easier handling and transportation. This will also prevent the contamination of other relief items in the bags as the bottles can break during the shipping of relief.
The removed items were put together in a separate container and were also distributed to the affected areas.
Secretary Soliman further said that the DSWD has not received, more so tampered, foreign donated packs containing eight kilos of rice, eight kinds of canned goods, biscuits, chocolate, coffee, milk and noodles, as alleged by a tabloid columnist.
For so many years that the Department has been accepting foreign donations, the DSWD always ensures that donors are properly acknowledged for their generous efforts to help disaster victims.
Secretary Soliman once again appealed to the public not to spread information based on hearsay and unverified reports.
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