Our government is working: RDRRMC chief
BUTUAN CITY -- "Our government is working."
This was the statement of Caraga Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) chairperson Liza Mazo on the ongoing disaster response launched by the government to typhoon-stricken areas in Caraga Region.
According to Mazo, blocked roads and the continuous heavy rain experienced in Caraga just after Typhoon Odette ravaged the region, aid for more than 287,000 families or over 1.5 million individuals affected continues to be provided.
"As far as logistics is concerned, ang OCD (Office of Civil Defense) nagfacilitate talaga ng mga transport and even warehousing.. lahat para mapabilis ang delivery of relief assistance to the destination, especially the island provinces - Dinagat Islands, Siargao, and even mainland Surigao del Norte. (As far as logistics is concerned, the OCD facilitated the transportation and even warehousing... everything to hasten the delivery of relief assistance to the destination, especially the island provinces - Dinagat Islands, Siargao, and even mainland Surigao del Norte)," she said.
The OCD is closely coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for faster mobilization of the said assistance through AFP's assets such as vehicles, sea vessels, and aircrafts.
With these resources, relief items are being transported daily, Mazo said, except on instances where gale warnings are issued, which prohibts small boats from sailing.
"Yung ating target ay mareach ito sa mga community at matransport ito everyday (Our target is to reach and transport these everyday)," she added.
The Department of Health (DOH) is also actively providing medical services to distressed residents.
The agency has deployed quad teams in the towns of Burgos, Dapa, Del Carmen, General Luna, Pilar, San Benito, and San Isidro in Siargao Islands; the municipalities of San Jose, Dinagat, Basilisa, Cagdianao in Dinagat Islands; and in Surigao City to address primary medical concerns such as basic medical services, pyschosocial support, nutrition, and water quality managament.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as the head of the RDRRMC-Regional Disaster Response Committee (RDRRMC-RDRC), is also leading the distribution of food and non-food items, management of internally displaced persons, and even the dead.
Even after the typhoon, the Council is providing relief assistance non-stop even during the holidays.
"Araw-araw yan, walang pahinga, even 24 ng gabi and New Year, New Year's Eve, walang tulugan, walang pahinga... no letting down, even from the start. (That is done everyday, even in the 24th [of December] and on New Year, New Year's Eve, we didn't sleep, we didn't rest... no letting down even from the start)," said Mazo. (DMNR/PIA-Caraga)
