By Lia Atienza
On Monday, November 10, at the Presidential Security Command (PSC) Operations Center, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. directed government agencies to ensure all government aid and relief operations reach victims of Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong).
During the briefing, the President called for the immediate rehabilitation of damaged roads to avoid delays in relief operations for affected areas.
Marcos also instructed Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa to ensure that medical teams are present in all evacuation centers to assist victims and monitor the health and safety of evacuees.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has deployed over 21,000 personnel nationwide to assist local government units (LGUs) in ongoing evacuation, relief, and search and rescue operations in provinces.
“The PNP is also closely coordinating with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, local government units, and other disaster response agencies to ensure timely and organized response efforts,” said the agency.
Furthermore, the PNP distributed over 16,000 members of its Reactionary Standby Support Force (RSSF) and 1,566 vehicles to Regions 2, 4A, 4B, 5, and 8 as additional reinforcements for relief operations.
As of 2:00 p.m., the PNP has reported 62 search, rescue, and retrieval (SRR) operations — resulting in 10,112 individuals rescued.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also stationed 243 SRR teams nationwide, with over 800 teams on standby for rapid deployment if needed.
“All major service commands and unified commands have been mobilized to assist in rescue, relief, and recovery operations in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense and local disaster risk reduction and management councils,” said AFP Spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla.
To support the transport of relief goods to victims, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has waived terminal fees for deliveries of rescue equipment and relief goods to affected areas, as announced by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Additionally, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has removed expressway toll fees for government vehicles deployed to aid in provinces affected by the typhoon.
Multiple non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have also initiated ongoing donation drives as additional aid to victims of the onslaught of Typhoon Tino and Typhoon Uwan, including:
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