The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) sent on Wednesday some 500 sacks of rice to be donated to victims of Super Typhoon Rolly in the Bicol Region.

PRO-7 chief Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro said the rice donations come from the Cristina Lee Dino Foundation and given through the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas.

“We have been directed (by Philippine National Police chief Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan) to concentrate on our relief operations,” Ferro told journalists here in an interview at the port during the loading of relief donations for deployment to Bicol.

He said the 100-man team the PRO-7 prepares is now on standby and may be needed to be deployed anytime soon.

“Our personnel are ready to be deployed,” Ferro said following a quick check on the policemen.

Aside from rice, among the relief items sent to Luzon include canned goods, bottled water, and portable gas stoves, he added.

Ferro said the relief goods “will be distributed to badly hit areas in Bicol, including those in Camarines Sur and Masbate”.

The initial donations were loaded on BRP Pangasinan PS31 of the Philippine Navy, whose area of responsibility is Southern Luzon, he said.

Ferro has asked the public to extend any possible donations, such as water, food, clothes, and blankets, to their office so they can bring it to Bicol.

Meanwhile, the city government has also set up a relief operations center at the City Hall and Fuente Osmeña where people can drop off their donations. (PNA)