Marcos eyes more calamity centers

The President has ordered the establishment of additional disaster response centers to bolster the government’s preparedness and ability to protect Filipino families during calamities and emergencies.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer, Atty. Claire Castro announced the directive during a Palace press briefing on Friday in Malacañan, saying the move is aimed at ensuring the safety of affected families from the impact of extreme weather conditions.

“Ipinag-utos din ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. na magtayo ng maraming disaster response centers upang masigurado ang kaligtasan ng mga kababayang maaapektuhan ng sama ng panahon (President Marcos Jr. orders the creation of more disaster response centers to ensure the safety of our fellow Filipino citizens amid the bad weather),” Castro said. 

According to Castro, Marcos issued the directive during his visit to the National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City.

Marcos personally inspected the fully automated machines at the National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City, which are used to efficiently pack relief supplies for distribution by the Department of Social Welfare and Development during calamities and disasters.

The visit comes as the government ramps up preparations for Tropical Storm Crising, which is expected to make landfall over mainland Cagayan or the Babuyan Islands late Friday afternoon or evening.

Marcos was initially scheduled to inspect the North-South Commuter Railway’s Balagtas station in Bulacan, but opted to visit the NROC instead to oversee relief readiness.

Meanwhile, the DSWD reported it has P2.9 billion in standby funds, along with a stockpile of three million family food packs, 28,107 boxes of ready-to-eat meals, and 334,791 non-food relief items. 

These resources are stored across 934 strategic hubs nationwide.

Packing operations remain active at both the NROC in Pasay City and the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Cebu, as the agency continues to prepare for potential impacts of the storm.