The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Friday afternooon, Dec. 17, that it has immediately deployed its units to conduct search and rescue (SAR) and relief transport missions after the initial devastation of typhoon "Odette" in Mindanao and Visayas.
Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP spokesperson, said the military established close coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for their disaster-response missions.
"These include emergency preemptive evacuations, search and rescue, clearing, and transport assistance for the delivery of relief goods," he said.
As the lead agency of the NDRRMC's Search, Rescue, and Retrieval Cluster, Zagala said the AFP has mobilized SRR units from all regional commands to the battalion level "to ensure the widest coverage possible."
He said air and naval assets from the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Army were also on call and ready for deployment to support the national and local disaster risk reduction and management councils and other response clusters.
Meanwhile, other units that were not in the typhoon's path were placed on standby to provide support when necessary.
"In this trying time, we enjoin those who can help to extend assistance in any way they can to those who are badly affected by this typhoon. Help is on the way and the AFP along with other government agencies are working 24/7 to reach those who are in need," Zagala said.