Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Remulla assured that the government is on top of the situation as search and rescue teams are now deployed in areas struck by Severe Tropical Storm "Kristine", particularly in Naga City, Camarines Sur and other provinces in Bicol Region.
In a statement, Remulla stated that the Department of Health (DOH) already deployed emergency field hospitals in the Bicol Region as well as the National Capital Region (NCR), Cavite and Batangas.
Remulla appealed to the public to remain calm as President Marcos Jr. directed the DILG to rescue all affected residents as quick as possible."
"All the efforts of the government are at the disposal of the local government units (LGUs)," he said.
The DILG chief also stated that the Department of Energy (DOE) is in touch with all affected electric cooperatives and their resources have already been deployed.
"Power should be back in Naga in no time," Remulla assured.
On Friday, October 25, the President convened with various government officials to discuss the ongoing relief efforts and receive the latest updates on the effects of Kristine during a situation briefing in Malacañang Palace.
Remulla said that 10 deaths were confirmed and seven others went missing in Naga City. In Batangas, there were seven reported deaths and three missing.
On the positive note, Remulla revealed that there were no reported damage or casualties in Central Luzon and the roads are still passable.
Remulla reported to the President that the Bicol Region, Region 4-B and Southern Tagalog are the most severely affected by “Kristine.’’
For the entire country, Remulla stated that the affected regions were Regions I, II, III, V, VIII, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and the National Capital Region (NCR).
Remulla added that 44 provinces, 73 cities, 733 municipalities and 14,666 barangays were affected by ‘Kristine.’
In the same report, Remulla noted that 5,791 evacuation centers are operational where 19,961 families were evacuated.
He noted that 64,000 families were still being served in the evacuation centers as most of them had returned home except for the affected residents in Naga City.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Kristine has caused massive flooding in different provinces, affecting 2.6 million people or around 570,000 families across 15 regions.