Although the government’s disaster response team has shown satisfactory performance when responding to the needs of the public during typhoons Pedring and Quiel, Pres. Aquino said several relief operations in the future can be strengthened further.
He commended the full efforts of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and local government units that provided timely, accurate and immediate information and assistance to the affected individuals.
The president cited that the local government units should intensify their initiatives by convincing more residents at risk to leave their houses during critical periods to reduce accidents during rescue operations in the areas with heightened alert levels.
He stressed the government is currently preparing a rehabilitation plan for the fast recovery of the victims gravely hit by storm Pedring and Quiel, including damaged infrastructure. Many of these areas have long been flooded and Pres. Aquino said he will be visiting these places soon for further assistance.
The President assured that he is determined to look for ways to rehabilitate the damaged areas and help the victims to recover from their ill fate. He noted the repair of damaged roads, distribution of fuel in remote areas, 100% resumption of power, and assistance to the hundreds of farmers are on his top list to mitigate the loss brought by the two strong typhoons.
As a means of being more proactive, Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that Pres. Aquino seeks all concerned local government units involved in disaster preparedness campaigns and recovery efforts to enhance and strictly enforce all the evacuation processes and procedures before the typhoon comes so as to reduce the burden of rescuing the possible victims, save more lives and minimize stranded individuals in the danger zones.
He added the Philippine National Police (PNP) should be alert and prepared during forced evacuation ensuring that the security of the evacuees must be given priority.
For the safety of the properties of the evacuees, Lacierda said the PNP has been instructed to deploy personnel to secure the affected areas.
