The heavy volume of rain water that poured in the country during the last 24 hours caused the massive floods that we have seen on TV and social media, mostly in Metro Manila. Typhoon Carina is the first strong typhoon that hit the country this rainy season, and it became a litmus test on how the administration of President Bongbong Marcos handles natural disasters such as this.
The President has been monitoring the impact of typhoon Carina from his official residence in Malacanang since Tuesday night, so that in the early morning of Wednesday, he presided over a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) at the Office of Civil Defense with key Cabinet officials who are involved in rescue, relief and rehabilitation of flood victims.
Early on, the Office of the President through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin issued the necessary orders suspending classes and government offices except those vital to the flood relief efforts. The suspension was extended for today, even as the typhoon is well on its way in the direction of Taiwan, but still capable of siphoning great volume of rainwater from the southwest monsoon or “habagat.” The second-day suspension of classes and public offices were necessary because the monsoon was expected to bring rains in Northern Luzon and the western side of Central Luzon and Metro Manila.
It was reported that gutter-deep to chest-high flooding in the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila, Marikina, Navotas, Quezon, Pasay, Taguig, Pasig, and Valenzuela City. Meanwhile, parts of the North Luzon Expressway in Bulacan and Pampanga were under flood waters, while Batangas, especially in the towns of Nasugbu and Lemery, suffered flood-related landslides and other problems. At least eight persons were killed and hundreds were displaced by the floods nationwide.
Another emergency meeting of the Metro Manila Council composed of the 17 mayors of the National Capital Region, along with DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting chairman Don Artes resulted in a decision placing the whole of the NCR under a state of calamity.
Twelve mayors from the cities of Caloocan, Pasay, Pateros, Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong, Quezon, Makati, Navotas, Taguig, Pasig, Manila, and San Juan voted in favor of the decision.
The rest – those from Malabon, Marikina, Valenzuela, Las Piñas, and Parañaque – were unavailable due to the disaster.
The declaration of a state of calamity will allow local government units (LGU) to access emergency funds that would enable the swift implementation of relief operations and the deployment of aid to affected residents. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said the declaration would allow LGUs to fully use their quick response fund, without which they are limited to only 70 percent of the fund.
On the instruction of President Marcos, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) again proved to be on top of the situation. Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday ordered the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) and DSWD Field Offices (OFs) to swiftly deliver aid to those affected by Typhoon Carina. The President earlier instructed the DSWD to adjust the distribution of relief items, especially in the areas with the most numbers of affected families.
Gatchalian directed the DRMG and DSWD FOs officials to immediately send family food packs (FFPs) and other relief items to typhoon-hit communities.
“Yung distribution ng stockpile ninyo, i-adjust na ninyo. Nakikita na naman natin yung trend kung saan dumadaan (Your distribution of stockpile, have it adjusted. We can see the trend where [typhoon] passes), where are the areas that are being hit hardest. As much as possible, doon na tayo mag start sa (we start at) prepositioning as a response to the need para hindi tayo mahirapan (to avoid much burden),” the President said.
National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB) Director Leo Quintilla reported the activities and response efforts of the DSWD, saying the department has a total of One Million family food packs and a total standby funds and stockpiles funds of PHP2.6 billion.
The DSWD also maintains more than PHP1.2 billion worth of other food and non-food items (FNIs), he added. Quintilla said these stockpiles are stored in the agency’s disaster response centers, regional offices, and in the last mile warehouses in the LGUs, especially in the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
When the sun shines again this Friday or Saturday, more work has to be done by the Marcos administration, this time assessing the damage and starting the serious task of rehabilitation of various sectors such as agriculture, transportation, communication and health.
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