Q: Good morning, sir.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Hi. Good morning.

In the meeting that we had with the NDRRMC and the other representatives just to get an assessment, ‘yung naging effects ng Typhoon ‘Karding’ dahil nga we were very worried. Malakas eh. Nag-Signal No. 5 kaagad.

But I think that we were able to prepare. Pag-uwi ko galing sa airport kanina — kahapon ng umaga, I started already talking to our NDRRMC, DILG, DSWD, DOST to find out what the situation is.

And so we started preparing at ‘yun talaga, if there’s one lesson I learned pag bagyo o pag disaster, kung pwede mong i-forecast, is to plan well.

Mag-preposition ng gamit, ng asset, maghanda ang… Alam naman na ninyo ‘yan eh. Ang kailangan diyan may re-rescue. Ang susunod diyan kailangan ng tubig, kailangan ng pagkain, kailangan ng shelter. O tapos kailangan lang ng support, et cetera, et cetera. Alam naman natin ‘yan. Communication is essential pati ‘yung tubig, kuryente.

So those are the things that we all know that we need to do. Kaya’t inunahan na namin. And so far, naging effective naman ‘yung aming response. Binabantayan pa rin natin.

Inaalala ko na baka matagalan ay ‘yung pagbalik ng kuryente [inaudible]. But anyway, that’s what we more or less assessed. Pero tuloy-tuloy pa naman. [inaudible]. Okay.

Then, now we are going to fly and to see — talagang I wanted to see what the level of the water is. Tingnan natin how far we can go. Iba ‘yung nakikita mo na siya.

I will not land in any place because from my experience pagka nasa local government ka lalo na just after the typhoon, marami silang trabaho. ‘Pag bumaba ako, kailangan nila akong i-welcome, kailangan ‘yung pulis sa akin, kailangan kukunin ko ‘yung mga sasakyan nila. Eh ang dami nilang kailangang gawin so makakaistorbo lang ako.

The time will come, I’ll go and talk to them and see what else they need after the immediate emergency support. All right? Yes?

Q: Hi sir, good morning. Just your message of assurance to Typhoon victims sir, especially those in Polillo?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, we are — presently what we are organizing is the airlift for food materials, food packs, water into Polillo because sabi nila doon lang talaga… Right now, those are the first area — ‘yun ang unang tinamaan.

Then, after we intend to get the basics there — again food, water, shelter, and even clothes, all of these things — and then the DSWD is also prepared to provide AICS to them for those that are going – that  will need assistance.

So the whole range of assistance is prepared, is ready to go. But right now, having cash is really not very useful for them. So unahin natin ‘yung mga immediate needs nila and then when the time comes na magagamit na nila ‘yung AICS, ibibigay natin sa kanila.

Thank you. All right.

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SOURCE: OPS-PND (Presidential News Desk)