Panayam kay PCO spokesperson for Natural Calamities and Disaster ASec. Joey Villarama ukol sa mga lugar na pinakaapektado, pinatutukan ni PBBM
Panayam kay PCO spokesperson for Natural Calamities and Disaster ASec. Joey Villarama ukol sa mga lugar na pinakaapektado, pinatutukan ni PBBM
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NewsTranscript
00:00Updates on the efforts of the government regarding the effects of Hurricane Karina and Havagat.
00:06We will talk with Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama,
00:11the PCO Spokesperson for Natural Calamities and Disasters.
00:16Asic, Joey, good afternoon to you.
00:19Good afternoon, Ninia. Good afternoon, Asic Nguyen.
00:22Good afternoon and welcome to Bagong Pilipinas.
00:25Welcome back to all of us.
00:28Yes, we missed each other.
00:30And now, we have big news.
00:32And you are very busy there in La Nina and PCO.
00:39But you have a specific role, Asic, Joey.
00:44And from the last situational briefing,
00:47what are the areas that are being targeted based on the damages caused by Hurricane Karina?
00:54Actually, Ninia, based on the information that was briefed to the President yesterday,
01:01and also earlier, the regions are still the same.
01:05So, Region 3, NCR, and Calabar Zone.
01:09So, these areas are still being targeted.
01:13And specifically, the hard-to-reach areas or inaccessible areas.
01:18Earlier, you mentioned in the item, the news item that you read earlier,
01:23that what the President really wants, he emphasized or he re-emphasized his directive
01:29that the particular situation in the affected areas must be assessed
01:35to know the particular need.
01:37So, why is it like that?
01:40Because, as he mentioned during the time of El Nino,
01:44that he's not a fan of the shotgun approach.
01:47So, it needs to be tailored specifically to the needs of the people.
01:52So, for example, if the houses were damaged,
01:55that's where the help to organize the infrastructure will come in.
02:00If there's food that's needed, that's where the help from the DSWD will come in.
02:05So, his instruction that he repeated earlier is to map out,
02:08to know what are the areas that are severely affected,
02:13and that's where we will focus in terms of deployment of personnel
02:18and the vital assets of the government.
02:22So, based on the report of the DSWD,
02:24how many families or individuals are affected by this storm and flood?
02:28And what are the areas that were affected during the bad times?
02:32This is very fluid, Ms. Queng.
02:34So, earlier, Secretary Gatchalian mentioned that in terms of the food packs they're delivering,
02:42he gave a figure, but in the data that came from NDRRMC,
02:48there are 189,000-plus families,
02:51which translates to about 910,000 individuals.
02:55So, in Regions 3, as I mentioned, 4A,
02:59but it also includes Mimaropa, 4B, NCR, and the Cordillera Autonomous Region.
03:04So, a lot of people were affected,
03:07and they really needed help.
03:11So, this is what we're really worried about now,
03:13that we were given relief or respite because the sun rose today.
03:19It's a good thing that when we woke up earlier,
03:22the sun was shining, and the sun was shining,
03:26but there was still rain in some areas, but not like yesterday.
03:30So, from the figure that you mentioned, almost 1 million individuals,
03:35how many are in evacuation centers now?
03:38And how many were evacuated?
03:39And how is the response team of DSWD right now
03:43through their distribution of food packs?
03:47So, in response to DILG earlier, Secretary Avalos,
03:52in his presentation,
03:53there were 702 evacuation centers activated.
03:58So, mostly in the regions that I mentioned,
04:02about 36,000 families are in evacuation centers right now.
04:07So, that's about close to 150,000 individuals.
04:11That's why I mentioned earlier what Secretary Gatchalian of DSWD said,
04:17that the 360,000 plus food packs are ready for delivery.
04:22Because the President mentioned yesterday in his first briefing,
04:25in the NDRRMC yesterday,
04:27that we really have countrymen who haven't been able to eat,
04:30haven't been able to drink water.
04:32That's what he wants to prioritize.
04:34At the same time,
04:35the relief efforts and rehabilitation efforts must continue
04:40because we have been given respite from the strong and heavy rains.
04:46So, Asek, in that number,
04:48how many casualties are there according to the NDRRMC record?
04:53And what you're saying about those who haven't been able to eat,
04:55haven't been able to drink,
04:56haven't been able to get help,
04:57are there still people who are looking for help?
05:00Yes, that's why in the directive of President Asek Weng,
05:05the hard-to-reach areas or inaccessible areas must be mapped out
05:11or those who haven't been able to get help.
05:13Because the OCD mentioned that they received more than 150 calls for rescue.
05:23So, I don't have information right now on how many were actually rescued.
05:27For all we know,
05:28those who haven't been able to get help
05:31whether the roads were damaged or there were no lines of communication,
05:36we don't know how many are still in need of help
05:39or maybe they're still in the roof of their house
05:41or some other place other than their house.
05:44So, casualties.
05:46That figure is also very fluid, Asek Weng Ninia,
05:48because the OCD is the one who collates information
05:53because it needs to be verified and validated.
05:56But we understand that when LGUs interview the mayors,
06:01they will say,
06:02or someone mentioned to me overnight,
06:05for example, there was an interview earlier in Kalooka
06:08that there were four pregnant women who died.
06:12But I don't know if the pregnant women died
06:16or if they were the ones who were carried.
06:17So, the figure is very fluid.
06:19But the figure earlier in NDRRMC is 13, I believe.
06:2513 dead, 2 missing, and then 2 injured.
06:29But given the extent of the damage we are seeing,
06:34and the amount of rain yesterday,
06:37it is still possible for this to increase.
06:39And we will know that as the data comes in.
06:42These figures you mentioned,
06:44let's say 13 dead and there are still missing,
06:48where is this concentrated?
06:51What places?
06:52The majority, for example, in Metro Manila,
06:55as Mayor San Juan Zamora said earlier,
07:00he is also the chairman of the Metro Manila Commission,
07:03the majority is Camanava, obviously Marikina,
07:07because Marikina River rose.
07:08So, there are cases of drowning,
07:11there are cases of not being able to leave the house
07:14because they were not able to leave on time.
07:17So, there are cases like that.
07:18In the provinces, there are cases of falling trees,
07:22flooding rivers.
07:23So, we focus on those regions,
07:27particularly those that have declared a state of calamity.
07:32So, there are, obviously, in Metro Manila,
07:34we know that it declared a state of calamity.
07:36There are towns in Region 3,
07:38and I understand in Calabarzon, there are also.
07:42Let me go back to what you said earlier.
07:45You received a lot of calls.
07:47150 calls asking for rescue.
07:50Actually, the media also received a lot yesterday,
07:53whether you're a reporter,
07:54you're an anchor in the news,
07:56we received a lot.
07:57So, my worry, what I'm thinking,
07:59you're right,
08:00we still don't know the full extent of the damage
08:03and tragedy that's caused by this recent typhoon
08:07and tsunami.
08:08So, my question is,
08:10are those who are asking for rescue being rescued?
08:13Are they being transferred?
08:15What is the government doing,
08:17especially the LGUs?
08:18That's really,
08:20so, if there's a lead,
08:21where are the places that need to be rescued,
08:25that's what we're really focusing on.
08:26Because time is of the essence, obviously,
08:30and it's a big help that the sun rose.
08:33Actually, when I went here,
08:35there was sun and it was a bit hot,
08:37but the rain was pouring down.
08:40So, time is of the essence,
08:42and it really needs to be rescued,
08:44especially because there are others
08:46among the people we received,
08:47there are senior citizens,
08:49there are also bedridden,
08:51there are PWDs.
08:53Yes.
08:54That's why, as you mentioned,
08:56in the evacuation centers,
08:58one of the directives of the President
08:59is really to provide the medical services
09:03because there are children who could get sick,
09:05there are old people,
09:07there are maintenance drugs
09:08that they were not able to bring
09:10to the evacuation center
09:11and they might need it now.
09:13So, it really needs to be researched,
09:16to know what the particular areas are
09:18and what their particular needs are
09:20for the government personnel
09:23and government help to enter there.
09:24So, last but not least,
09:26how many places in the country
09:29are under the state of calamity?
09:31So, Metro Manila included,
09:33let's just read this.
09:34In Region 4A,
09:36including Batangas and Cavite,
09:39in Region 3, officially,
09:41I say officially
09:42because their resolution has not been accepted yet.
09:46Bulacan and Bataan are the ones I have.
09:51But I understand,
09:52in Region 3,
09:53the governors of other provinces talked,
09:58seven, and then two of the highly urbanized cities
10:01in the region.
10:02There is a possibility,
10:03we are really waiting for the declaration
10:05that in Region 3,
10:06the state of calamity will be declared.
10:09There is also one in Oriental Mindoro.
10:14So, how many are those?
10:15The data is still coming in.
10:17What I have here is the entire Metro Manila,
10:21one in Region 4B,
10:23two in Region 4A,
10:25and two in Region 3.
10:26So, there are six.
10:28Towards the end of the day,
10:29that figure will be updated.
10:31Why is the declaration of state of calamity important?
10:34Again,
10:34because it might just be a declaration,
10:37what for?
10:37So, that is where the much-needed calamity fund will be accessed.
10:42So, aside from the people,
10:44the ones that were destroyed here,
10:45the ones that need to be rescued here in Metro Manila,
10:47or in the nearby provinces,
10:49the agriculture sector,
10:50we are asking for an update
10:52on how widespread the damage is.
10:55The last we have on record,
10:56Asec Cueng,
10:57was 9.70 million.
11:00But those are in Regions 4B,
11:046, 9, and 10.
11:06But we know that the role of Region 3 is important
11:11because Pampanga is there,
11:13Nueva Ecija is there,
11:14the rice barn is there,
11:17the rice that we harvest.
11:18So, we haven't received the specific reports yet.
11:22And I would like to believe
11:24that this figure will be added.
11:26But hopefully,
11:27this won't cause a nick in our supply.
11:32We will wait for the official data
11:35coming from the Department of Agriculture
11:37following their assessment.
11:39Okay.
11:39What was the directive of President Marcos Jr.
11:42in the DPWH
11:44regarding the roads that were damaged
11:46or not passable
11:47and the roads where the land was cut?
11:50Actually, earlier in Secretary Bonoan's report,
11:56there was only one road that was impassable.
11:59So, impassable.
12:00So, by now,
12:02it has been cleared in Baguio.
12:05But the directive of the President is,
12:08because yesterday in the report
12:10or in the briefing yesterday,
12:11they identified the 90-plus roads
12:14that are inaccessible
12:17whether because of floods or damage.
12:19So, if the DPWH report earlier
12:22was only one,
12:23well and good.
12:24But there's always that risk
12:26that there's still a flood
12:28because soil can only take so much water,
12:31right?
12:31Our land is already super saturated.
12:34So, there's a possibility
12:35that landslides will still occur
12:37in places that are prone to landslides.
12:39The directive of the President
12:41is that in the near future,
12:42once it's safe to do so,
12:44to do the clearing operations,
12:46of course,
12:46because the safety of our government personnel
12:51who will clear the roads
12:52must also be taken into consideration.
12:53Because if one road is not cleared,
12:55it means that there's an inaccessible community
12:58that needs help.
13:00Okay.
13:01Joey,
13:01we also asked for an update
13:02on the assistance of the government
13:04to the affected places
13:05and our countrymen in Visayas and Mindanao.
13:08What are the assistance
13:09that was received from the government today?
13:11Yes.
13:11When we really felt the landslides
13:15and there was still no flood
13:16in the southwest monsoon,
13:19mostly what is affected
13:20are those in Visayas and Mindanao.
13:22So, there are 32,
13:24about 32 million pesos
13:26in various aid and assistance
13:28that was given to various regions
13:31such as Caraga,
13:32Region 10,
13:33Regions 6 and 7,
13:36and even Region 12.
13:37So, that assistance is being added
13:38from various government units,
13:41DSWD,
13:42from their local disaster risk reduction
13:46management units,
13:48and various offices.
13:50But because,
13:51as we know,
13:53as the President said earlier,
13:54he wants the situation
13:56in the entire Philippines
13:58because practically,
13:59because the landslides were brought by Karina,
14:03the heavy rain
14:04has an effect on the entire Philippines.
14:07Is this the aftermath
14:09of the landslides and Karina's?
14:12Is this something that,
14:14we were surprised,
14:15or we were reminded by Ondoy again.
14:18Yes.
14:19So, maybe we saw that
14:22everyone was moving,
14:22yesterday everyone had a meeting,
14:24we saw, we watched,
14:26we're trying our best,
14:27but do you think
14:30the extent of the damage,
14:32and the people who are asking for a bag,
14:33and everything,
14:34something that,
14:35were we prepared for this?
14:37There will always be blind spots,
14:39Ms. Queng,
14:40because one major,
14:42or big factor there,
14:43is the amount of rainfall.
14:45Even if it's forecast,
14:47and told by our experts,
14:51because the government really wants
14:53data-driven and science-driven
14:55our interventions,
14:57even if they say that
14:58this is the amount of rainfall
15:01that we will be receiving
15:02in the coming hours,
15:03in the coming days,
15:04it's still different,
15:05because it depends on the situation
15:07on the ground,
15:07how if there's a lot of drainage,
15:09how if there's a waterway
15:11that's not clear,
15:12even if it was clear before,
15:13but there's still garbage,
15:15and so on and so forth.
15:16So, these are the blind spots,
15:19but obviously,
15:21we have learned from these experiences,
15:24from these incidents,
15:26that we can apply.
15:27But really,
15:28the major factor,
15:32or major takeaway here,
15:34is to build more climate resilience.
15:40Because as we said,
15:43as we have been saying,
15:44not just me,
15:44not just government,
15:45but most experts are saying that
15:48this is the new normal.
15:49This is what we will face
15:51in the coming months,
15:52in the coming years.
15:53So, whatever preparation,
15:55even if you're over-prepared,
15:57there are blind spots,
15:58we have lessons to learn from,
16:00but we really need resilience,
16:03aside from the preparedness,
16:06is what we need to focus on.
16:09And not only can the government do that alone,
16:12we also really need the help
16:13of our mothers.
16:15Yes, and us,
16:16our personal responsibility,
16:17especially in those places
16:19where we know
16:20that we belong to this place,
16:21we should always be prepared.
16:23Because in 2021,
16:24there was also that,
16:25the typhoon Raleigh,
16:26Raleigh and Ulysses will follow.
16:29So, in what I covered,
16:30they said,
16:31it's like they were struck by lightning again.
16:33The memories of the lightning came back.
16:35So, and now,
16:37there's Karina,
16:37so they have something new
16:39to say that this happened to them.
16:42But that's it,
16:43it's also hard to say
16:45the rainfall alert,
16:47how high,
16:48orange, red,
16:49like that.
16:50Red, red,
16:50some don't want to leave their properties
16:52because they hope
16:55that it won't happen again.
16:56They really don't want to leave their homes.
16:58That's right, that's good, Ms. Queng.
16:59And we have been emphasizing that,
17:01especially when I ask about
17:04preparations for La Niña.
17:05So again, as I mentioned,
17:08the government is doing
17:10what it can to prepare for La Niña.
17:12And this is the typhoon
17:14and rainy season.
17:15But the cooperation of our countrymen
17:19is vital and important,
17:21especially if our goal
17:24is to minimize the loss of life.
17:26Those warnings that come out of hope,
17:29red alert,
17:30orange alert,
17:31yellow alert.
17:32So, there's a saying there,
17:33within the next so-and-so hours,
17:36this amount of rain will fall
17:38or will be received.
17:40So, let's take that to heart.
17:42When it's said that
17:43this is how much rain will fall,
17:46we still have time to get up
17:49and move on.
17:50So, that's the importance of this
17:53science-driven and science-based approach.
17:57But of course,
17:58our countrymen need to respond
17:59and believe.
18:03So, wind signals,
18:04it's being said there,
18:05you have 24 hours to flee
18:07or to go to safer land,
18:0936 hours, 48 hours.
18:11We should heed the warning
18:14and call.
18:15And to think it's only July,
18:17like this is the first after El Niño.
18:20For sure,
18:20there will be more to come.
18:22Let's just expect the worst
18:24and hope for the best
18:25because it's only July,
18:26August, September.
18:27Right?
18:27When I'm interviewing about hope,
18:29there's August,
18:29there's September.
18:30There are still
18:31upcoming storms to come.
18:33Until September, right?
18:35Yes.
18:35There's still December, actually.
18:36So, that's it.
18:38Well, as of now,
18:38let's just show this live feed
18:41of the ocular inspection
18:43of President Marcos Jr.
18:45there in Valenzuela City.
18:48There.
19:18So, correction,
19:20this video is not from Valenzuela,
19:23but it's from Navotas,
19:25the current president.
19:26Yes, so, well, Navotas,
19:29Valenzuela, those are the usual.
19:31Opan, Malabon.
19:32There, there.
19:33You said earlier,
19:33Camanaba.
19:34Yes, that's what was mentioned earlier
19:36by MMC Chair Francis Zamora,
19:39Mayor Zamora,
19:40that it's really full of Camanaba,
19:42Marikina,
19:44and of course,
19:45we felt it in Quezon City,
19:47in Barangay Santo Domingo,
19:48in Tatanon.
19:50Those are the requests
19:54for rescue that we receive.
19:56There are creeks,
19:57there are waterways,
19:59the usual places
20:00that if there's a flood there,
20:02that's also where we get rescued.
20:03Until now.
20:04This is the president himself, right?
20:06He's there,
20:06he wanted to see,
20:08to see the situation personally.
20:10It's like,
20:11it's been a long time
20:12since I've seen something like this
20:13that really went down there
20:14and was seen
20:15with his own eyes.
20:18At the start of today's briefing,
20:20this morning's briefing,
20:22that's what the president is saying.
20:24We need to be very detailed
20:26about our reports.
20:28He used the word granular,
20:31so very detailed,
20:33because he wants to know
20:34what the particular situation
20:37that our countrymen are experiencing there
20:40and when we see that,
20:42as I kept emphasizing earlier,
20:44that we can tailor-fit
20:47the help that will be given
20:49to the community
20:50and to our countrymen there.
20:52That's good,
20:53because that's really a case-to-case basis
20:55and it's really tailor-fit
20:57for our countrymen.
20:59Well, thank you very much
21:00for your time.
21:02I know you're very busy.
21:03I just noticed that you're a spokesperson
21:05for natural calamities
21:06and disasters now.
21:08Before, it was La Nina, El Nino.
21:10Among other things.
21:11Among other things.
21:12We already started with El Nino,
21:14and since this is a climate phenomenon,
21:18that's what we're talking about.
21:19So, it's already in the cloud.
21:21So, in the La Nina that we're preparing,
21:24we can also talk about it in the future.
21:27There, so next is DENR.
21:29What is it?
21:31No, it's everything.
21:32ASEC really needs to learn.
21:34Joey Villarama,
21:35PCO spokesperson
21:37for natural calamities and disasters.
21:40Thank you.
21:41Thank you, ASEC Joey.
21:42ASEC Wing.