The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday announced that various units have been placed on heightened alert to carry out immediate response operations as Super Typhoon Nando (international name Ragasa) moves toward northern Luzon.
“We have prepositioned our humanitarian assistance and disaster response units in northern Luzon, ready for rapid deployment in coordination with local DRRMCs (disaster risk reduction and management councils),” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in an interview.
To further beef up their disaster response posture, Padilla said they would tap AFP force multipliers such as reservists and CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA) units to augment ground operations, especially in remote and high-risk areas.
“Rest assured, the AFP is fully committed to supporting the whole-of-nation effort in protecting our kababayans and ensuring immediate response once the typhoon makes landfall,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army said its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) teams from the 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 9th Infantry Divisions, along with the 525th Combat Engineer Battalion, are now on standby for possible relief missions.
The 5th and 7th Infantry Divisions are attached to the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), while the 2nd and 9th Divisions are attached to the Southern Luzon Command (Solcom).
