CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has intensified its humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations in Leyte following the devastation caused by Typhoon Agaton.
The Visayas Command on Saturday, April 16, announced that efforts will be sustained to provide needed assistance to alleviate the distress of people experiencing hardship brought about by the recent calamity.
“We will mobilize the needed assets in support to the local government units to fast-track the delivery of relief goods and basic services to the affected communities,” said Lieutenant General Robert C. Dauz.
On April 14, search and rescue teams from the 505th Search and Rescue Group of the Philippine Air Force and 525th Engineer Combat Battalion of the Philippine Army arrived in Tacloban City. The teams were deployed in Abuyog and Baybay City, Leyte, to assist in the recovery of cadavers buried in the landslide.
The teams augmented the deployment of Joint Task Force Storm and the search and rescue teams from the Tactical Operations Group 8 of the Tactical Operations Wing Central, PAF; Philippine National Police; Bureau of Fire Protection; Philippine Coast Guard; and volunteers from the private sectors.
Meanwhile, the recovery and relief operations continue in typhoon-affected communities in the region. On April 12, HADR teams of the 301st Infantry Brigade under Joint Task Force Spear, in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6, facilitated the hauling of 6,000 boxes of family food packs to be distributed in the municipalities of Sara and Ajuy, Iloilo province.
Personnel from the 603rd Community Defense Center under the 6th Regional Community Defense Group, along with the members of Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Panitan, Capiz, facilitated the conduct of relief operations to the affected communities of the said municipality.
Moreover, in collaboration with DSWD and Naval Reserve Center Eastern Visayas, the Naval Forces Central facilitated the hauling of 27 tons of relief items which were distributed to the typhoon-affected residents in Baybay City, Leyte. (AFP)-gb
