SANTA CATALINA, Negros Oriental — About P1.3 million worth of goods were shipped to Bicol today, November 4, 2020, by personnel from the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (POR-7), Naval Forces Central (NAVFORCEN), and the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV).
The goods were loaded early today on BRP Pangasinan PS31 of the NAVFORCEN which departed around noon. The loaded goods included 550 sacks of rice, mineral water, canned goods, and portable gas stoves.
Police Brigadier General Juan Ignatius Ferro, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas. | Screenshot from the PRO-7 live video
Juan Ignatius Ferro, director of PRO-7, said that the relief goods were only the first batch that will be distributed.
“This will be the initial, the other help will soon be collected and will be delivered,” said Ferro.
According to Ferro, most of the donations also came from private individuals and groups who immediately contacted the authorities to collect their donations.
Currently, Ferro said that he was directed to focus first on the relief goods distributions which is why the 100 personnel he was planning to send as reinforcement to Bicol is currently on standby.
“I was directed by our chief PNP to concentrate on our relief operations while the 100=man team that I already prepared was held on standby in case they will need men for search and rescue (SAR),” said Ferro./rcg