PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday ordered the Department of Health (DoH) to deploy medical teams to evacuation centers to look after the people affected by heavy rains from Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon or “habagat.”
In a situation briefing at the Presidential Security Command in Manila, Marcos said the DoH should ensure that evacuation centers have mobile clinics to tend to the children and the elderly.
He said barangay health workers might also be tapped to conduct a triage and initial assessment of the evacuees.
A handout photo made available by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) shows Philippine President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Junior (L) waving to evacuees at a school turned into a temporary evacuation center during inspection in the flood-hit city of Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines, 25 July 2024. A state of calamity was declared in the Philippine capital of Metro Manila and neighboring provinces in order to activate resources to address effects of massive floods from monsoon rainfall caused by typhoon Gaemi on 24 July. Flood evacuees began returning to their homes while other affected families still remain in evacuation centers in need of relief supplies. EPA-EFE/PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
The President also urged the DoH and local government units (LGUs) to prepare medicines.
“We need to get, as quickly as possible, a good assessment of what the situation is, and what it is that we need to do. Where do we send our people, where do we send our goods, where do we send our materials,” Marcos said.
During the briefing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported to the President that at least 13 people have been reported dead, two injured, and two missing as of Wednesday night.
NDRRMC Executive Director and Office of Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said two more reported fatalities in Metro Manila were still being confirmed.
Nepomuceno said 189,014 families, or 910,536 individuals, were affected, and 123,992 families (612,961 individuals) took shelter in evacuation centers.
The NDRRMC also said the National Capital Region (NCR) and the provinces of Cavite and Batangas have declared a state of calamity.
Kabacan and Pikit towns in Cotabato; Palayan, Oriental Mindoro; and Barangay Butuan, Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental have also declared a state of calamity.
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, head of the Metro Manila Council, said that the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela), and Marikina City are among the worst-hit areas in Metro Manila.
After leading the briefing, the President visited flood victims in Valenzuela City.
The President and some Cabinet officials also rode a truck that passed by flooded areas along McArthur Highway in Barangay Malanday in Valenzuela.
Most of Valenzuela remained submerged in floodwaters after the La Mesa Dam overflowed on Wednesday.
Before the inspection, Marcos went to the command center in Valenzuela, where he discussed with Mayor Wes Gatchalian and his brother, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, how the government could respond to the needs of the flood victims.
The President highlighted the miscommunication between dam operators and the local government units regarding the release of water from the dams.
“Communication has become our weak spot. When you open the dams — if they would spill— the downstream communities need to be informed,” he said.
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