President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday ordered concerned agencies to send medical teams and health professionals to various evacuation centers to prevent the possible outbreak of diseases among people taking shelter.

President Marcos expressed concern about congestion in evacuation centers, citing his firsthand observation during a visit to an evacuation center in Rizal province.

“I was concerned about noong nakita ko sa evacuation center, napaka-congested, ‘yung sakit. Pagka isa lang diyan ay nagkasakit, kakalat nang napakabilis niyan. And so, we are making sure every evacuation center has a medical team,” President Marcos said in a statement to the media in Camp Aguinaldo.

Medical teams should consist of doctors and nurses from both the national government and local government units, the Chief Executive said.

At the national level, concerned agencies should ensure that deployed medical teams have enough supplies, the President said.

“Ang trabaho lang talaga sa national ay tiyakin na mayroon silang sapat na supply ng mga gamit at saka ng gamot, and that’s what we’re doing now. So far that’s what we have to attend to,” President Marcos said.

The President was at Camp Aguinaldo to oversee the government’s response to the effects of the southwest monsoon, which were enhanced by Tropical Storm “Dante” and Typhoon “Emong.”

The President also attended the situation briefing at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s operations center. | PND