MANILA, (PIA) — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday assured the public that government assistance will be immediately delivered to areas hit by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine via land, sea, and air.
“I make this pledge to our people: Help is on the way. It will come by land, air, and even by sea,” he assured during a situation briefing at Malacañan Palace on October 25.
“Yesterday we started sending aid and commenced rescue operations in the areas affected by STS Kristine. Today, we will continue sending our help and aid,” he added.
Marcos then directed Cabinet Secretaries to oversee relief and rehabilitation work in specific areas.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to a swift and effective disaster response, and reiterated that aid has already begun to reach affected regions and will continue throughout the day.
“For a speedy and streamlined disaster response, I have ordered the full mobilization of available AFP personnel and resources committed to relief operations,” he said.
“All personnel leaves, except for medical reasons and those with humanitarian justifications, in the uniformed services are deemed cancelled,” he added, indicating that members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) medical corps will serve as frontline personnel in the relief efforts.
Other uniformed agencies, including the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), have also been instructed to deploy their assets for rescue and relief operations.
According to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the department has released a total of 150,000 family food packs nationwide, with an additional 250,000 ready for dispatch in the CALABARZON and Metro Manila areas.
The situation remains critical in Naga City, where nine of the 36 local government units are still submerged, and six others are partially underwater.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista reported that the storm has affected 115 ports, leaving over 10,000 passengers stranded.
The Philippine Coast Guard, for its part, has been active in rescue operations, deploying 226 teams and assisting over 142,000 individuals. Of these, 3,309 were from the National Capital Region (NCR) and Central Luzon.
During the briefing, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla reported that nine regions, encompassing a total of 14,666 barangays, have been affected by the storm. The impacted regions include I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, VIII, CAR, and NCR.
As the government mobilizes resources to respond to the disaster, President Marcos emphasized the urgency of aid and the commitment to support those in need as recovery efforts continue.
“We just have to keep monitoring the situation and make sure, always, the rescue and relief–that cannot stop. It does not matter if there’s another storm coming in, we cannot stop,” he assured. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
