The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) assured on Monday that efforts from various agencies and units are underway for relief operations in Batanes province, which was severely affected by super typhoon Julian.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and our NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) chair, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, are closely monitoring the situation and guiding response efforts to address the aftermath of this disaster,” said OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno in a statement.
Nepomuceno emphasized that the OCD is “actively working to ensure the efficient transport of assistance to our fellow Filipinos in need.”
The agency has deployed its rapid deployment teams to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City and Laoag Airport to oversee the loading and dispatch of relief goods.
Batanes is currently under a state of calamity.
On October 3, Nepomuceno, along with officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, conducted an aerial inspection of Batanes. They met with Governor Marilou Cayco to assess the ground situation.
The following day, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. arrived for a meeting with local government officials to evaluate the province’s needs and directed national government officials to collaborate on enhancing rehabilitation efforts.
During the briefing, Teodoro assured that construction materials would be provided to families whose homes were damaged.
“Materials and potable water is the number one, Sir, that is required. So Ariel [Nepomuceno] will coordinate as he has been coordinating the logistical priorities of what has to be brought in. But for materials, for the north is here with the Chief of Staff; they can prioritize with the Naval LD (landing dock) the construction materials just as long as there is a source to pick it up from,” Teodoro stated.
Meanwhile, the Office of the President has extended over PHP 42.78 million in financial assistance to the Batanes local government unit. Various food and non-food items—including shelter repair kits, family food packs, water gallons, sacks of rice, and hygiene kits—have been distributed.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that 204,230 individuals have been affected by Typhoon Julian.
In its latest situation report, these numbers translate to 57,781 families across 604 barangays in the region, and nearly 2,500 houses were either partially or totally damaged by the storm.
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