Northern Luzon AFP camps eyed as disaster response warehouses

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will use military camps in Northern Luzon to stock relief goods to enable it to immediately respond to disasters and emergencies in the region.

These are the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) military facility, Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 base in Sta. Ana town in Cagayan, 4th Marine Brigade at Camp Cape Bojeador in Burgos, Ilocos Norte and Camp Andres Malong in Pangasinan.

The military said the facilities would serve as vital hubs for storing and distributing crucial relief supplies and ensuring prompt assistance to communities affected by calamities.

Nolcom public information office chief Maj. Al Anthony Pueblas said OCD assistant secretary and deputy administrator for operations Raffy Alejandro IV visited Nolcom on June 13 to identify strategic military bases for warehouses dedicated to humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Pueblas said Northern Luzon needs “robust preparedness measures” to ensure swift and effective response to natural disasters.

”This convergence with the OCD to address said concerns is very vital and timely,” he said.

Pueblas said Northern Luzon is constantly ravaged by typhoons due to its geographical location in the Northwestern Pacific Basin, the most active tropical cyclone basin in the world. — Artemio Dumlao