MANILA — In response to concerns from residents of Camarines Sur regarding a fuel shortage due to Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. announced that he has directed the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) to “find a road route in the Bondoc Peninsula and then landing craft tanks (LCTs) from the peninsula to Camarines Sur where we can ferry actually fuel vehicles and fuel tankers.”
During a situation briefing at Malacañang this morning, Teodoro explained that a shuttle service for food, water, and fuel will operate by crossing the Bondoc Peninsula to Pasacao town in Camarines Sur. “They will start today, sir,” he informed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., adding that logistics planning is currently underway.
“May I also say that the Philippine Air Force was able to go into Naga and Legazpi and will continue the air bridge to take advantage of any gaps in the weather now,” he stated. The defense chief further noted that the 205th Helicopter Wing and the 505th Search and Rescue Groups are deploying all rotary assets already in the area to enhance airlift capabilities.
Environment Secretary Maria Antonio Yulo Loyzaga recommended mobilizing the private sector to identify fuel stocks in affected areas and facilitate access to them. “Fuel stocks sometimes are in depots and actually already in the proximate areas where they can already be accessible,” Loyzaga remarked.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan reported that the only remaining problematic section along the Maharlika Highway to reach Camarines Sur is the Lopez-Catanauan section in Quezon, which had been closed to traffic in recent days but is now passable, even for heavy vehicles.
President Marcos emphasized the government’s commitment to closely monitor the situation in Bicol and ordered agencies to intensify rescue and relief operations, especially as nine of the 36 local government units in Camarines Sur remain inundated. “It doesn’t matter if there’s another storm; that can’t stop the support we’re giving, the DSWD to those who have been displaced, who are still in evacuation centers or staying outside of their own homes,” he stated. “As we’ve experienced many times, there are phases to this thing – there’s the rescue phase, the relief phase, and then the recovery phase where we start to bring people back to their normal homes.”
As of the 11 a.m. tropical cyclone bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Kristine is now located 255 kilometers west-northwest of Bacnotan, La Union, or 255 km west-southwest of Sinait, Ilocos Sur. Moving west-northward at 15 kilometers per hour, it has maximum sustained winds of 95 kph and gusts of up to 115 kph. The storm is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility this afternoon or evening. (OCD)
