Philippine Coast Guard Assists Relief Efforts in Bohol

Two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) multi-purpose vessels in Manila were dispatched on Thursday, October 17 in the Province of Bohol to transport various relief items for the affected locals following the magnitude 7.2 killer earthquake that rocked the Central Visayas region last Tuesday.

PCG vice commandant for operations Rear Admiral Luis Tuason Jr. said that buoy tender ship BRP-Corregidor (AE-891) and the 35-meter search and rescue vessel BRP-Romblon (SARV-3502) are heading to Bohol on Wednesday to deliver the more than 10,000 sacks of family food packs provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in cooperation with US AID and World Food Program for the families and residents affected by the said quake.

Tuason also mentioned that the PCG will be sending teams from the agency’s K-9 units that are capable of searching people that were trapped in the ruins of the destroyed houses and structures in the said area.

Meanwhile, he noted that shipping operations in the Port of Tagbilaran is still suspended as of the moment due to the severe damage it has sustained after the calamity.

He added that Coast Guard units Central Visayas are also advised to coordinate with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) for possible dispatch and augmentation on the ongoing search, rescue and retrieval operations for the residents believed to be trapped in the various destroyed structures in the Provinces of Cebu and Bohol.