OCD oversees Egay aid in Northern Luzon

MANILA, Philippines — Victims of Typhoon Egay in Northern Luzon received immediate assistance from the national government delivered by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) contingent headed by its administrator Defense Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno.

From July 26 to 30, OCD went to Regions 1, 2, 3 and Cordillera Administrative Region to help distribute allocations of various equipment and supplies in the most affected areas.

The assistance included water filtration machines, power generators, shelter repair kits, family packs, temporary shelter materials, personal hygiene kits and food packs.

The aid, worth millions, came from the Departments of Social Welfare and Development, Agriculture, Labor and Employment, Human Settlements and Urban Development, and Education, as well as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and OCD.

Typhoon Egay and the monsoon rains have affected at least 2.8 million Filipinos and forced 57,799 individuals to stay in 665 evacuation centers.

“Though we are still too far in a more systematic disaster resiliency, we are optimistic that we are on the right track now at least on the level of immediate assistance to calamity victims. President Marcos clearly instructed us to ensure that our capabilities are enough to help Filipinos affected by calamities,” Nepomuceno said.