THE Coast Guard District Southern Mindanao (CGDSM) has provided 22,000 relief goods and other commodities to the residents and displaced families in Davao Oriental who were affected by massive flooding brought by the trough of the low-pressure area (LPA).
The disaster response assistance was transported via the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Multi-Role and Response Vessel (MRRV-4406) BRP Suluan and was loaded at the Department of Works and Highways (DPWH) Panacan to Mati City Port on Friday afternoon, February 2, 2024.
The foodpacks were part of the five percent Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund and the 30 percent Quick Response Fund (QRF) of the province.
In a radio interview with BRP Suluan (MRRV 4406) Commander CDR Julio Colarina, the official cited impassable roads in several areas in the Davao Region, particularly in most portions of Davao del Norte as to why the need for water transportation in delivering services.
“Compromise yung accessibility ng land transport so kailangan natin gawin itong water transport para madala agad itong tulong (The accessibility of land transport has been compromised [due to bad weather] that is why we need to operate the water transport to swiftly transport the assistance),” the official said.
Currently, several roads and national highways in the province linking to Davao Oriental are not passable to all types of vehicles due to continuous flooding.
Based on the initial report of the Office of the Civil Defense-Davao (OCD-Davao), around 50 roads in the region have been damaged. DEF
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