PUERTO GALERA, Oriental Mindoro — The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has distributed thousands of relief and food packs to families in Puerto Galera affected by a severe El Niño phenomenon and recent weather disturbances.
In a statement released on Thursday, November 12, the OVP announced it facilitated the turnover of 2,614 relief bags and 2,614 food bags. The beneficiaries were identified and verified by the local government unit through its Disaster Operations Center (DOC).
The humanitarian response was launched to aid residents struggling with a prolonged water shortage caused by El Niño, which severely impacted local water availability, sanitation, and livelihoods. Due to these compounding crises, the Sangguniang Bayan formally placed the entire municipality under a State of Calamity via Resolution No. 06-198-2026.
Aside from drought conditions, Puerto Galera faced heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides triggered by the Southwest Monsoon, or habagat. The Department of Education (DepEd)-Puerto Galera District also requested assistance for families impacted by these weather incidents.
The OVP’s Disaster Operations Center managed the distribution to ensure efficiency, prudent resource utilization, and the safety of both personnel and residents.
Through this initiative, the OVP reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to delivering immediate humanitarian support to vulnerable communities facing emergencies and natural disasters.