Ang Pahayagan

MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it has prepositioned search, rescue and retrieval (SRR) teams in anticipation of the effects of Typhoon Marce (international name Yinxing).

“Sa panig po ng AFP, kami po ay naghanda at nag-preposition ng ating mga SRR teams, ngayon po sa area ng Northern Luzon, meron po tayong mga 305 na SRR teams nakadeploy. Ready na po silang tumulong sa ating mga kababayan (kapag) dumating po ang bagyong Marce (For the AFP, we have prepared and prepositioned our SRR teams, in the Northern Luzon area, we have 305 SRR teams deployed. They are now ready to help our countrymen once (STS) Marce arrives,” AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Aside from these personnel, Brawner said the AFP is now readying its “airlift capabilities” such as C-103 transport aircraft that can be tapped to transport essential relief goods and non-food items.

Besides these fixed-wing assets, the AFP chief said seven “Black Hawk” helicopters are ready to transport food and other relief items to isolated communities that cannot be accessed by other transport assets.

“Sa ngayon po, nagloload na po tayo ng food and non-food items dito po sa Subic, dun po sa dalawang barko natin na malalaki, ng Philippine Navy, at once makumpleto po ito ang pagload natin ng food and non-food items, kasama po dito yun mga construction materials, dadalhin na po nating ito sa Basco, Batanes (As of now, we are loading food and non-food items in Subic, aboard our two large Philippine Navy (PN) ships, and once the loading of food and non-food items, this includes construction materials, we will be transporting this to Basco, Batanes),” he added.

Brawner, meanwhile, said relief operations continue in areas in the Bicol region that are still reeling from the impact of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine.

He added that two PN ships, carrying food items and non-food items, have already reached the region as part of the relief efforts for communities affected by the storm.

“Marami pa hong ginagawang paghahanda ang AFP, yun pong mga rubber boats natin, nadeploy na rin po tayong ng mahigit na 30 na rubber boats sa area ng Northern Luzon (The AFP is doing a lot of preparations [for Marce], and these include preparing deployment of our rubber boats. So far, we have already deployed more than 30 rubber boats in the area of Northern Luzon),” Brawner said.

The AFP chief also assured continuous internal security operations against local threat groups.

He cited as an example the Oct. 27 clash where troops conducting rescue and relief works figured in an encounter with New People’s Army insurgents in Pio Duran, Albay, which wounded a soldier. (By Priam Nepomuceno / PNA)

📸 Food and non-food items, including construction materials were loaded to Philippine Navy ship BRP Davao del Sur in Naval Operation Base-Subic to be transported to Basco, Batanes. (Philippine Fleet photos)