The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) assured Filipinos that government assets and personnel are ready to respond to Super Typhoon Pepito’s impact.

OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said this as the government acts in response to President Marcos' call to prepare for a worst-case scenario as the country faces its sixth typhoon in the past three weeks.

During a news forum in Quezon City, Nepomuceno said the government is continuously preparing for rescue and relief operations as Super Typhoon Pepito is expected to affect 10  million Filipinos.

He added that the government has mobilized 1,282 search, rescue, and retrieval (SRR) teams comprising uniformed personnel from the Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine Navy (PN), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

"Sa kabuuan niyan, mayroon tayong 13,857 personnel dedicated dito sa ating sunud-sunod na bagyo (In total we have 13,857 personnel dedicated to this series of typhoons)," he said on Nov. 16.

Covered by SRR teams are Regions V, VIII, III, II, I, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

"Subalit iyong naka-standby talaga ngayon diyan sa mga areas na iyan, mayroon tayong 493 teams composed of 3,813 personnel (We have 493 teams composed of 3,813 personnel on stand by in those areas)," Nepomuceno said.

"Kumpleto naman din ang ating mga air assets galing sa Philippine Air Force (We also have all our assets from the PAF)," he added.

Nepomuceno, also the executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. assured them that PAF’s Black Hawk helicopters are ready for OCD disposal.

Also on standby are Navy ships and assets from the Philippine Coast Guard dedicated to OCD operations.

He said I73 rubber boats from the national government are dedicated to vulnerable areas. More rubber boats are ready to serve if required. The OCD is doing rubber boat inventory with the help of DILG to assess the needs of the local government units (LGUs), which, according to him, are responsible for responding to the needs of their constituents.

"Kaya’t ang responsibilidad ng national government ay dagdagan lang ang kanilang kakayanan o iyong augmentation or reinforcement (The government's responsibility is to augment their ability)," Nepomuceno said.

"Gagawin natin iyan subalit iyong kritikal na panahon dapat ang local government units natin kayang-kaya din nila dapat (We will do that but during critical times the LGUs should be able to respond accordingly)," he added.

In Metro Manila, Nepomuceno said LGUs and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) need to prepare as the Marikina River could swell and inundate parts of Quezon City, Pasig, Araneta Avenue, Manila, and the Manila-Cavite border.

"The good thing is that Metro Manila LGUs have a good protocol that could be readily implemented," he said.

During the onslaught of Typhoon Kristine, responders rescued more than 350,000 individuals in the entire Luzon with the help of the OCD, uniformed personnel, Coast Guard, and local government units.