TACLOBAN CITY – Thousands of families across Eastern Visayas reeling from the impact of Typhoon “Opong” are now receiving faster relief assistance as the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC-8), led by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD-8), ramped up logistics and airlift operations to reach even the most isolated communities.
With storm signals lifted and sea travel resuming on September 26, the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Cell 8’s Libreng Sakay Program immediately transported food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), medical supplies from the Department of Health (DOH), and power restoration materials from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) from Tacloban Port to Amandayehan Port in Basey, Samar.
The OCD-8, as the Logistics Cluster Lead, coordinated the movement of supplies between hubs and disaster-stricken communities — a hallmark of the whole-of-government approach to disaster response.
Aerial operations, supported by the Philippine Air Force, saw two Black Hawk helicopters airlifting 300 family food packs to hard-hit and isolated towns like Capul in Northern Samar and Tagapul-an in Samar, where sea travel remains difficult. The same missions also conducted rapid damage assessments and supported search-and-rescue operations in Biliran.
Additional relief efforts included the delivery of OCD hygiene kits to Caibiran, Biliran, aided by the Philippine Army’s Joint Task Group Tacloban and 546th Engineer Construction Battalion, alongside the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and other RDRRMC member-agencies. The Department of Information and Communications Technology also carried out connectivity assessments to help restore mobile and internet services in affected areas.
RDRRMC-8 Chairperson and OCD-8 Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion stressed the importance of seamless logistics to sustain disaster response operations.
“Beyond delivering aid, our coordinated efforts restore lifelines and reaffirm the government’s commitment that no community is left behind in the aftermath of Typhoon ‘Opong,’” Torrecarion said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
