The Office of the Vice President (OVP) distributed food packs to some 8,000 families affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine in the Bicol region, which was left submerged and devastated by the typhoon last week.
 

In a statement on Monday, Oct. 28, the OVP said it has readied 4,000 food packs that included five kilos of rice and six pieces of canned goods for the victims in Naga City.
 

As part of the OVP’s Bicol relief operations, the OVP also distributed grocery food bags to the municipalities of Pamplona and Libmanan on Oct. 26 and 27, respectively.
 

In Pamplona, some 1,000 grocery bags containing five kilos of rice, six assorted canned goods, two pieces of biscuits, two pieces of cup noodles, three bottled waters, two twin-pack instant coffee, and two pairs of slippers were given away. Additionally, 800 food bags with five kilos of rice and six pieces of assorted canned goods were also distributed.
 

In Libmanan, the relief items included 1,000 grocery bags with five kilos of rice and five pieces of canned goods and 100 food bags with five kilos of rice and six pieces of canned goods. A total of 1,100 families in Libmanan benefited from the OVP’s relief food packs.
 

A video posted on the OVP’s Facebook page on Saturday, Oct. 26, showed its relief operations in the Bicol region.
 

“Dumating na sa Bicol ang mga relief at food boxes mula sa Office of the Vice President para sa gagawing Relief Operations sa probinsya para sa mga nasalanta ng Typhoon #KristinePH (The relief and food boxes from the Office of the Vice President for the relief operations in the province for the victims of Typhoon Kristine already arrived in Bicol),” its caption said.
 

“Kasalukuyan nang hinahanda ng mga kawani ng OVP Disaster Operations Center (OVP-DOC) ang mga food boxes, assorted canned goods at 200 sacks of rice na ipamimigay sa mahigit 5,000 pamilyang apektado sa Bicol region (The personnel of the OVP Disaster Operations Center are currently preparing the food boxes, assorted canned goods, and 200 sacks of rice that will be given away to more than 5,000 families affected in the Bicol region),” the OVP wrote.
 

According to the OVP, their DOC personnel traveled to Bicol last Oct. 25, but along the way encountered some parents who asked help for their stranded children.
 

With the help of the Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) rescue team, some 12 minor students were rescued from the middle of the flood, the OVP said.
 

Typhoon Kristine left the Bicol region and other areas devastated when it hit the country last week. In its wake, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Sunday that some 110 people were already reported dead, while at least 42 people remain missing.
 

The typhoon also forced half a million people to leave their homes, with damages to the agricultural sector and the country’s infrastructure estimated to be at hundreds of millions.