The Military recently raised blue alert in preparation for the coming of Typhoon Ramil. Under blue alert, all personnel are required to be on duty for 12 hours. This will make sure that the military will be ready at all times. Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., Armed Forces Public Information Office chief said that a huge percentage of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ assets like rubber boats have been stationed already in Northern Luzon where the typhoon is expected to wreak havoc.
Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo also announced that the Philippine Navy placed the naval units in Northern and Southern Luzon on red alert. Under red alert, all personnel are required to be on duty around the clock. According to Arevalo, seven De Havilland boats have been added to the Disaster Response and Rescue inventory along with two helicopters. The De Havilland boats according to Arevalo are more reliable than rubber ones because they have aluminum hulls which allows them to carry more people and is not at perpetual risk of being punctured during rescue operations.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. meanwhile maintained that food and transportation needs have already been secured for provinces like Batanes. “We have already reinforced our food stocks, especially in areas that are regularly cut off like Batanes and Cagayan Valley. We are also planning to open other air stations like the one in Laoag City, in order for us to respond faster,” said Teodoro.
Earlier, DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno asked local government units to prepare for the oncoming typhoon. Apart from early evacuation with the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, Puno also reminded local chief executives to monitor the prices and supply of basic goods. This announcement was made after PAGASA forecasted that Ramil will strike Cagayan, Kalinga, Ilocos Norte, Apayao and the Batanes group of islands by Wednesday or Thursday.
