The Philippine Army (PA) on Friday placed its humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) units on high alert in anticipation of Severe Tropical Storm Paolo (international name Matmo) and its possible effects.
In a statement, PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said they have 338 disaster response teams composed of 2,959 soldiers, reservists and Cafgu Active Auxiliary (CAA) members ready for possible deployment
Aside from these units, Dema-ala said Joint Task Group (JTG) “Kaugnay” also has 71 dedicated HADR teams on standby with 772 soldiers, reservists and CAAs situated across Aurora, Tarlac, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Olongapo and Bataan.
Additional 197 teams from Joint Task Forces “Tala,” “Valiant,” “Liberator” and “Peace and Justice” are also on standby and ready to secure the safety of affected communities, he added.
“As an integral part of your dedicated Army, our HADR units are ready to provide essential support and immediate assistance to communities affected by these calamities,” PA chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete said.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Regional Community Defense Group, a unit of the PA’s Reserve Command, has placed 20 disaster response units on standby, with 181 mission-ready reservists monitoring the situation on the ground.
“Various units are actively coordinating with their respective municipal and city disaster risk reduction and management offices to monitor high-risk areas and are prepared to conduct disaster response operations,” Dema-ala said. (PNA)
