The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Zamboanga Peninsula (DSWD-9), with the assistance of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), shipped on Monday more than PHP3.8 million worth of relief aid to the victims of Typhoon Odette in the Caraga Region.

On the other hand, the Department of Health-9 (DOH-9) has shipped medical supplies and tents also to the victims of the storm in the region.

“The vessel (BRP-Ivatan) carrying the relief goods departed around 2 a.m. this morning and is expected to arrive in Siargao (Surigao del Norte) at 8 a.m. Wednesday,” Rear Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr., NFWM commander, said Monday.

The Caraga region comprises the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, and Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Butuan City.

Lawyer Sittie Raifah Pamaloy-Hassan, DSWD regional director, said Monday that the relief goods they shipped consisted of 7,000 family food packs and non-food items.

Hassan said that each family food pack contains six kilos of rice, two cans of sardines, four cans of corned beef, five sachets of three-in-one instant coffee, and five sachets of cereal milk.

The non-food items are as follows: 135 blankets; 2,431 bath towels; 309 bed sheets; and, 2,325 mosquito nets.

The relief goods provided by the DSWD-9 were loaded to BRP-Ivatan (LC298) Sunday at the Ens. Majini Pier of the Naval Station Romulo Espaldon, home of the NFWM headquarters in this city.

“We are very thankful to our AFP troops particularly the Philippine Navy in coordination with the Western Mindanao Command because our major problem is how to transport the relief goods especially in island communities,” Hassan said in a statement Monday.

She inspected the relief goods at the DSWD-9 warehouse in Barangay Tetuan, this city, before they were loaded to BRP-Ivatan, to ensure these were of good quality.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH regional director, said Monday that the medical supplies they shipped to Caraga region included 144 bottles co-amoxiclav, 2,160 bottles paracetamol syrup, 144 bottles cetirizine syrup; and, 80 bottles zinc syrup.

Brillantes said the other supplies included five tents, 200 boxes of facemasks, and 200 hygiene kits.

“Our Bayanihan spirit lives on especially during this time when most of our Kababayans in the Visayas and here in Mindanao are affected by the 15th storm that hit the country this year,” Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) said in a statement Monday.

Caraga Region was among the hardest-hit areas when typhoon Odette made its first landfall in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, December 16.

“Let us pray for our fellow Filipinos, especially those in the worst-affected areas, that our Redeemer will grant them enough strength to move forward,” Rosario said. (PNA)