(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday ordered the full mobilization of all government assets, including the presidential helicopters, for rescue and relief missions in areas affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami).
To ensure that his directive was fully carried out, the President ordered Cabinet secretaries to lead relief and rehabilitation work.
He said he wanted “a conveyor belt of aid that is constantly delivering aid to the front.”
“Today, we will continue sending our help and aid. I make this pledge to our people: Help is on the way. It will come by land, air, and even by sea,” Marcos said.
AFTER THE STORM President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the extent of damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine during an aerial inspection of several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. Kristine left behind 40 people dead and damage to agriculture estimated at P80.8 million. PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
He said he has ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “to deploy vehicles, aircraft, boats, ships and all other transportation assets for first rescue, and then relief and rehabilitation. This includes presidential helicopters.”
Joining the AFP in the relief effort will be the Philippine National Police (PNP) medical corps.
“This means putting people out of harm’s way, those whose lives are in danger, and then paving the way for the rapid movement of relief resources to affected areas. I want to see a conveyor belt of aid that is constantly delivering aid to the front,” Marcos said.
He said a C-130 transport plane arrived at the Bicol International Airport on Friday morning that brought in equipment like generator sets, generator sets for satellite communication, and water filtration units.
The 525th Engineer Combat Battalion of the Philippine Army and 20 search and rescue operators have also been deployed, along with two inflatable rescue boats and 14 rescue boats.
He said Black Hawk helicopters were in Legazpi City and will attempt to fly to Naga City, which bore the brunt of Kristine’s fury early this week.
“We have a weather window of about two days for air operations in Bicol, and we will try to take full advantage of all that,” Marcos said.
Nine of the 36 towns in Camarines Sur hit by the storm are still submerged, he said.
“But the province has been very, very quick in distributing house-to-house food distribution, and every area has already been reached. And we are augmenting the provinces’ food supplies so that our relief operations continue,” Marcos said.
In a situational briefing with the President, Social Welfare Rex Gatchalian said the main concerns in Camarines Sur were water and fuel supply.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at the damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ during an aerial inspection on several towns in Batangas province on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PPA POOL
The local disaster management office had attributed the massive flooding in Naga to a perfect storm of heavy rainfall, high tide, an overflowing Bicol River, and spilling of water from Mount Isarog.
The President said he has ordered Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman “to immediately release all necessary funds so that needed resources can be procured expeditiously.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presides over a situation briefing with his Cabinet on Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ at Malacanan Palace on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presides over a situation briefing with his Cabinet on Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ at Malacanan Palace on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presides over a situation briefing with his Cabinet on Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ at Malacanan Palace on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presides over a situation briefing with his Cabinet on Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ at Malacanan Palace on Oct. 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will provide relief goods, both pre-positioned and new supplies, to augment those being distributed by the local government units (LGUs).
The Department of Agriculture (DA) was ordered to implement a quick planting and production turnaround plan to help stricken farmers.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was directed to launch emergency road-clearing operations.
ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo oversees the loading of sacks of rice on trucks at their head office in Quezon City on Oct. 25, 2024 for the victims of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ in the Bicol region. The ACT-CIS party-list will also donate P1 million in cash assistance . PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo oversees the loading of sacks of rice on trucks at their head office in Quezon City on Oct. 25, 2024 for the victims of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ in the Bicol region. The ACT-CIS party-list will also donate P1 million in cash assistance . PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo oversees the loading of sacks of rice on trucks at their head office in Quezon City on Oct. 25, 2024 for the victims of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ in the Bicol region. The ACT-CIS party-list will also donate P1 million in cash assistance . PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo oversees the loading of sacks of rice on trucks at their head office in Quezon City on Oct. 25, 2024 for the victims of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ in the Bicol region. The ACT-CIS party-list will also donate P1 million in cash assistance . PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo oversees the loading of sacks of rice on trucks at their head office in Quezon City on Oct. 25, 2024 for the victims of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ in the Bicol region. The ACT-CIS party-list will also donate P1 million in cash assistance . PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo oversees the loading of sacks of rice on trucks at their head office in Quezon City on Oct. 25, 2024 for the victims of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ in the Bicol region. The ACT-CIS party-list will also donate P1 million in cash assistance . PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
To prevent profiteering in the stricken areas, Marcos said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) was monitoring compliance with the price control on selected goods imposed in all areas under a state of calamity.
The President also expressed his sympathy to the victims of Kristine and assured them that the government was “working around-the-clock” to provide them with the necessary assistance.
Marcos said the national government was in constant contact and close coordination with LGUs, who know “where the most critical areas are.”
He acknowledged that Kristine is “just a sample of how frequent our storms and cyclones have become.”
In an earlier briefing in Malacañang, Gatchalian said the DSWD has released 150,752 family food packs to Kristine victims, along with 3,231 non-food items, with a total value of P111,133,601.54.
While in Camarines Sur, Gatchalian visited several evacuation areas and oversaw the distribution of DSWD aid to families forced out of their homes by floods and heavy rains.
The Office of the Vice President and the Philippine Red Cross continue to offer their services to people affected by Kristine.
In a statement, the OVP said its Libreng Sakay program continued to provide free shuttle services to stranded commuters in the National Capital Region.
From October 22 to 25, around 3,700 passengers benefited from the Libreng Sakay program on three different routes in Metro Manila and Cavite, it said.
The OVP also conducted relief operations in Lipa City in Batangas, with 700 families from the villages of Halang, Balintawak, and Pinagtungulan receiving relief packs from the OVP-Disaster Operations Center.
Meanwhile, PRC volunteers and local residents have begun clearing roads that were blocked by stranded vehicles in Camarines Sur and Naga City, particularly on Milaor Highway.
“It’s heartening to witness the Filipino bayanihan spirit in action. In any disaster, we’re truly all in this together. The Red Cross will always find a way to reach the most vulnerable, and we will not rest until our kababayans in Camarines Sur and other flood-stricken parts of our country are out of harm’s way,” PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Gordon said.
The PRC Cebu Chapter will be deploying two to three payloaders and one dump truck from its local partners, with arrangements being made for sea transport to Camarines Sur.
Despite the floods, a truck, amphibian water vessel, and rubber boats — part of the humanitarian caravan sent by the organization to Camarines Sur and Albay — were able to enter Del Rosario Zone 6 village in San Fernando, Camarines Sur.
Tens of thousands remained displaced after fleeing floods driven by a torrential downpour that dumped two months’ worth of rainfall over just two days in some areas.
“Many are still trapped on the roofs of their homes and asking for help,” Andre Dizon, police director for the Bicol Region, told Agence France Presse. “We are hoping that the floods will subside today since the rain has stopped.”
In Laurel, a scenic town nestled near Taal Lake, AFP reporters saw roads blocked by felled trees, vehicles half-submerged in mud, and homes severely damaged by flash flooding.
“We saw washing machines, cars, home equipment, roofs being swept away,” resident Mimie Dionela, 56, told AFP.
“We’re lucky (the rain) happened in the morning; for sure many would’ve died if it happened at night,” she said. “It was indescribable how scared we were.”
Islao Malabanan, 63, agreed he was alive only because the flood occurred during daytime, but said his family had lost everything, “including our clothes.”
Jona Maulion, who started an auto repair business in Laurel less than a year ago, questioned if her family could ever afford to restart from scratch.
“We thought we were on the way to success in the business,” the 47-year-old said. “I didn’t know that this would happen; everything is gone.”
Government offices and schools across Luzon remained shuttered Friday, and storm surge warnings were still in place along the west coast, with potential waves as high as 2 meters.
About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Philippines or its surrounding waters each year, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing dozens of people.
But a recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.
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