MANILA, Philippines — Super Typhoon Pepito could potentially affect at least 10 million people as it barrels toward Luzon, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said yesterday.

The scenario prompted national government agencies to ramp up disaster response measures, including pre-emptive and forced evacuation of residents in low-lying areas and coastal towns as well as mobilization of search and rescue teams, equipment and relief supplies.

“We are preparing for 10 million affected individuals so we need to ramp up our preparations,” OCD administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said at a news forum in Quezon City.

He clarified the projected figure includes the people who were already displaced by other cyclones such as Tropical Storm Ofel and Severe Tropical Storm Kristine.

The estimated figure is the basis for their careful planning in responding to the typhoon, the official said.

Among these is the distribution of food packs, hygiene kits and medical supplies in the regions that would bear the brunt of the typhoon.

Learning their lessons from Kristine’s ravaging in the Bicol Region, Nepomuceno said they have mobilized search, rescue and retrieval teams in Luzon and other parts of the country.

There are at least 13,857 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection and other concerned agencies which form part of the 1,282 search, rescue and retrieval teams nationwide.

Of the number, 3,830 personnel belonging to 493 teams are on standby in Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Two Black Hawk helicopters, two Navy ships and 73 rubber boats from the military were readied for humanitarian missions, Nepomuceno said.

He has requested an inventory from the Department of the Interior and Local Government on the rubber boats of local government units (LGUs).

“The capacity of our LGUs is important as their inventory is most critical in the first hours of the typhoon,” he stressed.

He added the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites are always ready as staging grounds for humanitarian assistance operations.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has a national stockpile of 1.3 million family food packs (FFPs) to augment the needs of LGUs still recovering from the effects of previous storms and those that may be affected by Pepito.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian reported that the DSWD is producing the FFPs in Central Luzon, Pasay City and Cebu.

He added that the agency is enhancing its repacking efforts while procuring pre-packed food packs to expedite preparations for Pepito.

DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said it has prepositioned 500,000 FFPs in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, CAR and Eastern Visayas as well as in the provinces of Quezon, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Albay.

She added 30,000 FFPs from the Visayas due for delivery to Bicol are currently stalled as sea travel is suspended due to the stormy weather.

Meanwhile, 50,000 FFPs are being loaded for transportation to Cagayan, Quirino and Isabela.

Meanwhile, the response teams of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been placed on blue alert in anticipation of the huge impact of Pepito.

According to Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, the agency’s Regional and District Disaster and Incident Management teams are on blue alert, signifying readiness for a full-scale disaster management wherein all resources are activated and made available for deployment.

This, as the teams in CAR and Cagayan Valley Region are still under red alert, as they continue the clearing operations following the effects of previous tropical cyclones Nika and Ofel.

As of noon on Friday, three national roads remain unpassable in Ifugao and Cagayan due to landslides and a damaged bridge caused by recent weather disturbances.

The partial cost of damages from Nika and Ofel now amounts to P464.06 million, from P143.40-million damaged CAR roads and P320.66-million damaged Central Luzon flood control structures. The figures are still for field validation.

The Department of Health (DOH), for its part, has raised a code white alert at the central office in preparation for the effects of Pepito.

Affected regions such as the National Capital Region (NCR), CAR, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and Eastern Visayas also declared code white alert.

Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao were also placed under the same alert level.

Under code white alert status, medical personnel are placed on an “on call” status for immediate mobilization to ensure the hospital’s readiness for any emergency.

As part of the Inter-Agency Coordinating Council, the DOH gave assurance that communication lines of all its regional offices will remain open to attend to any situation needing assistance.

“There will be close coordination between the department and all Centers for Health Development (CHDs) and regional or provincial disaster risk reduction and management offices for the needs of each typhoon-affected region,” said the DOH in a statement.

The CHDs in Central Luzon, Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, CAR and NCR have committed that health emergency response teams will be deployed in evacuation centers.

The CAR, NCR and Western Visayas quad cluster team that is composed of the public health team, water, sanitation and hygiene team, nutrition team and mental health and psychosocial support team are also on standby.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa advised the public, especially those with children, elderly, persons with disabilities in their households and those living in high-risk areas to prepare their emergency go bag composed of food, sanitary supplies, important documents and some money.

He also advised people that may be affected by Pepito to immediately proceed to the nearest evacuation centers to be safe from the threat of the typhoon.

He added that DOH hospitals and clinics are ready to serve those in need of medical attention.

At the same time, the DOH urged the public to cancel their scheduled travels to distant places such as Bicol, Quezon and other provinces where the typhoon may pass through in order for them not to get stranded.

Meanwhile, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co has strengthened its disaster preparedness initiatives to safeguard residents of Bicol.

Learning from its bad experience during the onslaught of Kristine, Co and House Speaker Martin Romualdez distributed new rubber boats to various municipalities and government agencies to enhance the region’s emergency response capabilities.

Heavy equipment is also on standby to address potential landslides, floods and other hazards associated with the typhoon.

“The new rubber boats and heavy equipment are part of our efforts to ensure preparedness in such situations. They are investments in the safety and resilience of our region,” Co said.

“We thank Speaker Martin for helping us ensure that local governments and responders in the Bicol region have the tools they need to help save lives and protect communities,” he added.

Co urged Bicolanos to prioritize their safety through preemptive evacuation. He also urged them to contact Ako Bicol area coordinators or their local government units for assistance. — Sheila Crisostomoofa168, Rhodina Villanueva, Jose Rodel Clapano

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