NDRRMC allocates P1.1B to storm victims

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the government has already distributed some P1.1 billion worth of assistance to the residents of typhoon-affected areas in the country.

The NDRRMC said government assistance includes food and non-food items provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Office of the Civil Defense, Local Government Units, and Non-government Organizations.

The NDRRMC touted the agencies’ adoption of a whole-of-government approach, particularly when reaching out to the families severely affected by the onslaught of tropical cyclones "Kristine" and "Leon."

It also noted the Department of Public Works and Highways’s ongoing clearing of roads, declogging drainages, and cleaning of culverts in heavily flooded areas.

The DSWD released 1,013,777 family food packs across regions affected by the two typhoons.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’s Multinational Coordinating Center (MNCC) and the Civil-Military Coordinating Center have already conducted 58 humanitarian sorties in coordination with ASEAN countries in severely affected Naga City and Batangas province.

The military utilized its land, air, and naval assets to transport the donations for the affected residents.

On Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PGC) said its BRP Gabriela Silang, carrying 5,500 family food packs from the DSWD, has already arrived in Batanes after facing delays due to severe weather conditions.

The PCG vessel, en route to Batanes, earlier took shelter in Sual town, Pangasinan, while waiting for improved sea conditions.

The NDRRMC accounted for 2,200,731 families or 8,630,663 individuals, who were affected by tropical cyclones "Kristine" and "Leon" over the past weeks.