QUEZON CITY (PIA) ---The Mimaropa Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has started preparing the second batch of assistance to Palawan.

Around 3,400 family food packs (FFPs) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Mimaropa (DSWD Mimaropa) have been loaded on BRP Bojeador docked at the Manila Port.

The first batch of FFPs were about 1,600 were sent Wednesday morning aboard the BRP Batangas expected to arrive in Roxas Palawan on Thursday.

Ayala Foundation, likewise, facilitated the airlift of 20 FFPs to El Nido town.

The food assistance is part of the 30,000 plus FFPs allotted for Palawan and in support of the on-going relief operations of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management office, City DRRMO of Puerto Princesa and the rest of the local government units in central and northern Palawan.

Local governments in Palawan, like their counterparts in other Mimaropan provinces, prepositioned food and medical supplies and other resources before the passage of Typhoon Odette.

Aside from food assistance, DSWD Mimaropa will be also sending 500 modular tents and 1,000 hygiene kits as soon transport becomes available.

Office of Civil Defense Mimaropa Assistant Regional Director Nieves Bonifacio said they have received the CDRRMO Puerto Princesa’ s request for additional chainsaws, portable toilets and kitchen sets, among others.

The Philippine Coast Guard is maximizing its marine assets to accommodate all relief cargoes, medicines and equipment to typhoon affected provinces including Palawan.

Meantime, the Department of Information and Communications Luzon Cluster III (DICT L-3) will strengthen Palawan’s connection with the rest of the region and mainland Luzon with the deployment of 10 more units of VSAT (or Very Small Aperture Terminal).

VSAT provides satellite-based telecommunications like voice over internet protocols (VOIP) and internet access.

Another PCG ship will take the units directly to Puerto Princesa City anytime soon.

Their provincial office used a similar unit after Typhoon Odette sliced through Palawan and disconnected the province, DICT L-3 Assistant Regional Director Carmen Valencia said.

Puerto Princesans gathered around at the DICT L-3 Palawan office to get internet when signals from commercial telecommunications were down for several days.

A DICT Team also restored and reconfigured a VSAT unit at the Palawan office of DSWD Mimaropa.

A part of their mandate to ensure connectivity in remote areas in Palawan, ARD Valencia said they have other VSAT units in the province: three in the Kalayaan Islands and one unit each in Dumaran, Linapacan, Cagayancillo and Busuanga. (LP)