MANILA — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced plans to procure mobile shower facilities and expand its mobile kitchen program in 2026 to strengthen disaster response and improve conditions in evacuation centers.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the agency is preparing to roll out additional mobile kitchens and introduce mobile shower units nationwide. “We want to ensure that disaster survivors not only receive food but also have access to proper hygiene facilities,” Gatchalian said.

The initiative builds on the deployment of 15 mobile kitchens and water tanker trucks launched in February 2025, which have been used during typhoons and flooding incidents to deliver hot meals and clean water to affected communities.

According to the DSWD, the 2026 expansion will include mobile shower units to improve sanitation, additional mobile kitchens for faster food distribution, and upgraded logistics equipment such as water treatment systems and transport vehicles.

The procurement is part of the agency’s disaster preparedness strategy, particularly as forecasters expect up to eight tropical cyclones to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility in the first half of 2026.

Humanitarian groups welcomed the move, noting that hygiene facilities are often neglected in evacuation centers. The DSWD said the new units will be deployed strategically across regions to maximize coverage and efficiency.

Dignity Is Not Optional in Disaster Response

Mobile kitchens feeding evacuees are no longer enough. People displaced by disasters need more than calories to survive. They need dignity. The plan to introduce mobile shower units acknowledges a truth that government agencies have long ignored. Hygiene is not a luxury. It is a basic human need.

Evacuation centers routinely expose families to overcrowding, illness, and loss of privacy. Children, the elderly, and women bear the heaviest burden. Without access to sanitation, disease spreads and morale collapses. In that context, showers are not accessories to relief operations. They are essential infrastructure.

The DSWD deserves credit for recognizing this gap. But recognition must translate into speed, scale, and sustainability. Pilot programs and limited rollouts will not suffice when storms are intensifying and displacement is becoming more frequent.

This initiative should also challenge local governments. Too many evacuation centers remain unprepared, under-equipped, and poorly maintained. National solutions cannot compensate forever for local neglect. Disaster preparedness must be treated as permanent policy, not seasonal reaction.

Mobile showers and kitchens are a step forward. The real test is whether this signals a shift in mindset. Relief should aim not just to keep people alive, but to protect their health, dignity, and humanity while they rebuild their lives.

Disasters strip people of control. Government response should not strip them of respect.