PAF choppers drop relief goods; local gov’t, police officials help evacuees in 3 Davao's isolated towns

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 12): PAF choppers drop relief goods; local gov’t, police officials help evacuees in 3 Davao's isolated towns

As damaged roads and bridges hampered the distribution of food aid for victims of typhoon "Pablo" in this eastcoast province, choppers from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) are used to drop relief goods in mountainous and far-flung villages of the towns of Boston, Cateel, Baganga and Caraga that are left isolated since Dec. 4. “As it is impossible for us to distribute relief goods in the mountainous far-flung villages of these typhoon-ravaged towns, we are now using military choppers to help us distribute relief items. Almost all roads and bridges are destroyed and the people are starving already,” according Freddie Bendulo, head of the Incident Command Post, the emergency response system being put up by the provincial government here. He said there are no evacuation camps as these were all destroyed by the typhoon so choppers drop relief goods from the air to these villages and we are striving to reach out to all villages left isolated by the typhoon.

“Relief workers trekked for two days just to reach the mountainous Barangay Botay in the town of Caraga where several people died and seriously injured by the typhoon. They are homeless and starving,” he said.  There are 45,000 displaced families in the three isolated towns of Boston, Cateel and Baganga that needs to be fed, he said. At least 18,000 packs of relief items composed of rice, noodles, sardines and clothes are being transported every day for the town of Baganga alone.

Philippine Navy ships travels for eight hours to transport the relief items from the provincial capital Mati City to Baganga town.....

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=479367