President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered the government to mobilize resources, including the deployment of rubber boats to provinces hit hard by severe tropical storm “Kristine,” such as Camarines Sur and Albay.
“We are beginning to marshal our assets, like rubber boats, even from as far as Mindanao, and bringing them to the areas in need,” the President said in an interview on Wednesday.
“As soon as we can get in, we will be doing that,” he added.
The President noted that Camarines Sur was particularly vulnerable, with half of the province now submerged due to its location in a basin shared with Albay.
Upon the instructions of the President, the House of Representatives launched a large-scale relief operation to assist the families severely affected by the storm, Speaker Martin Romualdez said.
Romualdez facilitated the request for the immediate release of P390 million in cash aid, which will be distributed to 22 districts affected by “Kristine” in the Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Mimaropa regions, as well as through four party-list representatives.
“President Marcos’ directive is clear: No Filipino family will be left behind in the assistance from the government to those affected by Kristine. We are making sure the government’s assistance reaches our affected countrymen as quickly as possible,” Romualdez said.
Additionally, the Office of the Speaker and the Tingog Party-list are preparing 2,500 relief packs per representative, for a total of 62,500 packs worth more than P21 million to be distributed to affected families.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development provided more than P2.3 million worth of humanitarian assistance to affected families, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said.
The Department of Health deployed Health Emergency Response Teams (HERTs) in the evacuation centers in the provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur and in other areas that are extremely affected by the storm.
The Department of Trade and Industry, for its part, implemented a price freeze on essential goods in areas under a state of calamity, including Albay province and Magpet Town in Cotabato that are currently experiencing widespread flooding and landslides.
Commodities covered by the price freeze include canned fish, instant noodles, bottled water, bread, processed milk, coffee, candles, laundry soap, detergent, and salt.
Mr. Marcos said Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites across the country would be activated for relief and rescue operations.
He said the EDCA sites would be used to airlift relief goods, personnel, and equipment, especially in areas with unpassable road networks.
There are currently nine EDCA sites across the country – the Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu; Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan.
Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said their American counterparts are ready to deploy their planes to the EDCA sites.
“In terms of the airlift capability, we already have alerted most of our aircraft. But we also coordinated with our US counterparts, and they are ready to send in their aircraft using our EDCA sites,” he added.
