DILG urges public to call 117 for emergency, rescue services

MANILA, Philippines - While tropical storm “Falcon” continued to dump heavy rains in Metro Manila and nearby provinces yesterday, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said the public can call hotline 117 if they need rescue services or if they are in any kind of emergency.

“All you have to do is dial our hotline number 117 so that we can immediately dispatch our emergency and rescue units and coordinate with the local Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and other concerned agencies to where you are and assist you,” Robredo said.

Reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that floods and rains have already affected 32,118 families or 166,708 people in 132 villages in 17 towns in Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales, Rizal, Albay; and the cities of Makati, Malabon, Manila, Marikina, Quezon City, Taguig, and Valenzuela in Metro Manila.

Thousands of commuters were stranded Thursday night due to knee-high waters in many streets in Metro Manila and 11 were reported missing in the provinces of Albay and Catanduanes.

PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo sent out all available police trucks, troop carriers, buses and rescue vehicles to assist stranded commuters in Metro Manila.

Of those affected by the flooding and rains, 10,143 families or 48,712 people were evacuated to 23 evacuation centers in Albay, Rizal, Zambales and Metro Manila.

Preschool, elementary and secondary classes were also suspended Friday in at least three provinces and several localities in Luzon, as well as in several colleges and universities in Metro Manila.

Based on the latest weather bulletin, Falcon (international name Meari), which gained strength as it merged with a low pressure area, continues to move in a north northwest direction and has been spotted 330 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph.

Tomorrow morning, Falcon is expected to be 1,030 km north northeast of Basco, Batanes or 370 km west northwest of Okinawa, Japan. Signal number one is still up in Calayan, Babuyan Islands and Batanes.

Relief assistance for affected areas

Due to the massive flooding, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) released P17 million worth of relief assistance to affected local government units.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said of the total amount, some P11,243,260 augmentation support was provided to Region XII (Soccsksargen).

As of yesterday, some 76,559 families or 383,212 persons were affected by flooding in the region, Soliman said.

She said 46 evacuation centers remain open serving 10,947 families with 54,735 persons. Affected families outside evacuation centers are also being provided with relief assistance.

Soliman said 39 evacuation centers are located in the hardest hit Cotabato City providing temporary shelter to 9,961 families or 45,805 persons.  

“The DSWD has provided P8.3 million worth of relief assistance to Cotabato City,” she said. “These include 600 bags of NFA rice, 26,482 family food packs, 858 clothing packs, seven rolls of laminated sacks, 180 pieces of plastic mats, and 5,000 pieces malong. We are facilitating the repacking and delivery of relief goods. We have massive repacking at Cotabato City and Koronadal City operations centers,” Soliman said.

She said volunteers from different organizations are helping in the repacking of relief goods and 22 DSWD social workers were deployed to assist local government units (LGU) social workers, in an effort to improve the management of evacuation centers and relief distribution.

At present, Soliman said relief supplies worth P981,596 were airlifted from the DSWD-National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City. – With reports from Helen Flores, Sheila Crisostomo, Christina Mendez, Marvin Sy