In response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s call to prepare for a worst-case scenario, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) assured on Saturday that government assets and personnel are ready to respond to Super Typhoon Pepito’s impact.
During a news forum in Quezon City, OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said the government is continuously preparing for rescue and relief operations amid the incoming Pepito.
Pepito is expected to affect 10 million Filipinos, the official said.
Nepomuceno said mobilized are 1,282 search, rescue and retrieval (SRR) teams in the country composed of uniformed personnel from the Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine Navy (PN), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
“Sa kabuuan niyan, mayroon tayong 13,857 personnel dedicated dito sa ating sunud-sunod na bagyo,” he said.
Covered by SRR teams are Regions V, VIII, III, II, I and CAR, he told the forum.
“Subalit iyong naka-standby talaga ngayon diyan sa mga areas na iyan, mayroon tayong 493 teams composed of 3,813 personnel. Kumpleto naman din ang ating mga air assets galing sa Philippine Air Force,” he added.
Nepomuceno, who is also the executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. assured Friday that PAF’s Black Hawk helicopters are ready for OCD disposal.
Also on standby are Navy ships and assets from the Philippine Coast Guard dedicated for OCD operations.
He said I73 rubber boats from the national government are dedicated to vulnerable areas. More rubber boats are ready to serve if required. The OCD is doing rubber boat inventory with the help of DILG to assess the need of the LGUs.
“Ulitin ko, importante ang kapasidad ng mga lokal na pamahalaan dahil sila ang nandoon sa lugar talaga, doon sa kritikal na mga unang oras habang nandiyan iyong malakas na bagyo. Kaya’t ang responsibilidad ng national government ay dagdagan lang ang kanilang kakayanan o iyong augmentation or reinforcement,” Nepomuceno said.
“Gagawin natin iyan subalit iyong kritikal na panahon dapat ang local government units natin kayang-kaya din nila dapat,” he added.
In Metro Manila, LGUs and the MMDA need to prepare for the worst-case scenario, he said. The Marikina River could swell and inundate parts of Quezon City, Pasig, Araneta Avenue, Manila, and the Manila-Cavite border, he added.
The good thing is that Metro Manila LGUs have good protocol that could be readily implemented, the OCD official said.
During the onslaught of Typhoon Kristine, responders rescued more than 350,000 individuals in the entire Luzon with the help of the OCD, uniformed personnel, coast guard, and local government units, he said. |PND
