Manila, July 23 -- The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Wednesday said all available government rescue assets and personnel are on standby for any eventualities as two more weather systems threaten to bring more rains to many parts of the country.
In an online press briefing, OCD officer-in-charge Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) alone has about 15,000 personnel that could conduct search, rescue, and retrieval operations anytime.
On top of this, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have 26,000 and 5,000 personnel, respectively, on standby, Alejandro said.
"In terms of air assets, meron tayong (we have) 28 rotary aircraft on standby. That...