Marcos orders quick response for typhoon-affected areas

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered all concerned government agencies to provide immediate response to the typhoon-affected areas. 

In a situation briefing at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) headquarters, Marcos said the government should always be on top of the situation amid the ongoing onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Enteng’ and enhanced Southwest Monsoon (habagat) in most parts of the country. 

“The standard procedures that we have put into place are working well. They are continuing to provide the assistance [in the] areas that have been hit. So, we can look to that as a continuing process that we always do when a typhoon comes,” Marcos said.

Data from the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) showed at least 442,804 families or 1,720,568 persons were badly hit by the typhoon.

Authorities already reported at least 15 deaths, 15 injuries, and 21 missing, as of this present. 

Meanwhile, the damage and loss to agriculture was already pegged at P350.85 million. 

Marcos conducted an aerial inspection to determine other assistance needed on top of the relief and aid already extended by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). 

He said the DSWD must start the delivery of relief goods. 

Also, the President ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to intensify its information drive on leptospirosis amid recent floodings brought about by the inclement weather. 

Marcos wants the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was promptly work on the clearing operations to fast-track the delivery of assistance to typhoon-affected families.

Meanwhile, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said they have already deployed 133,000 family food packs to Enteng-hit areas.  

“We are currently processing another 100,000, ‘yung mga bago na dumating. But you’re right, Mr. President, if you look at the breakdown of where we sent the food packs, it followed the path of the storm,” Gatchalian added.

He then assured the utilization of the 1.7 million national stockpile of family food packs across the country. 

“We’re doing both response and stockpiling kasi we’ll be using up our stockpile in those said regions. But we’re confident mahahabol naman namin ‘yun. As we speak right now, we’re deploying, and we’re packing, and we’re stockpiling,” Gatchalian said.