MANILA: Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin yesterday ordered field commanders to submit a list of equipment they need for disaster response so that it can become a part of the government’s shopping list.
Gazmin said the list would be forwarded to headquarters and the Defence department for procurement so that soldiers could respond to disasters promptly and appropriately,
“Prepare to assist our people during calamities. As first responders, we must be able to appropriately respond and help our people,” he said during his visit to the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) headquarters in Tarlac.
Gazmin is doing the rounds of different camps to check the preparedness of troops in responding to disasters during the rainy season.
The military has been acquiring equipment, including aircraft and water vessels to improve its disaster preparedness and response capabilities.
Among the assets to be acquired for disaster response are two C-130 planes, UH-1 helicopters and strategic sealift vessels.
NOLCOM chief Lieutenant General Felicito Virgilio Trinidad Jr assured Gazmin that his troops were ready to help people in times of disasters.
“There is a dedicated unit per area in NOLCOM to assist our people. Our units are in close coordination with our civilian counterparts for quick and appropriate response. The system is working and was tested during typhoon ‘Glenda.’” Trinidad said.
“Our focus is not only disaster response but preparations of our troops in collaboration with communities before a calamity strikes,” he added.
Glenda battered the country two weeks ago, leaving about 100 persons dead.
Earlier, then NOLCOM chief and now Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr directed military commanders in central and northern Luzon to designate an area inside camps as evacuation centre.
About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, and recently they have been getting stronger. Meteorologists say that as ocean temperatures rise, storms will get more dangerous.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR
