Urban poor community residents affected by the recent typhoons trooped to the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) national office on January 12 to demand compensation that should’ve been distributed. Led by Kadamay, they sought to hold a dialogue with DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian but was refused.

“More than six months have passed since typhoons Crising, Dante, and Emong struck, along with the successive floods caused by the southwest monsoon,” said Kadamay. “But until now, millions of Filipinos remain neglected and have not received fair compensation.”

The disasters devastated about 1.85 million families or 6.6 million individuals in 17 regions and damaged more than 15,000 homes.

“Temporary aid or relief goods is not enough compensation for these damages,” the group said. This was the urban poor residents’ response to Gatchalian’s letter on January 8, which stated that the department’s response of distributiing relief food packs was “sufficient”.

Kadamay noted that DSWD has a ₱270 billion fund in the proposed 2026 national budget, including ₱63.9 billion for Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).

“This fund in practice becomes an instrument of patronage politics and new form of vote-buying, instead of direct and immediate assistance to those truly in need,” Kadamay said.

The urban poor called the prolonged delay and lack of state response as “criminal neglect.”