Press Release
October 14, 2009

Red Cross intensifies relief, rehabilitation operations;
victims of 'Ondoy' and 'Pepeng' cites Gordon

Senator Richard J. Gordon ( Ind. ) today said the Red Cross is intensifying its relief and rehabilitation operations to help fast track the country's recovery from the devastation caused by typhoons "Ondoy" and "Pepeng."

Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), stressed that the Red Cross has now entered the next phases in disaster management, which is relief and rehabilitation.

In line with this, Gordon's prompt action in mobilizing rescue teams and deploying them to Pangasinan drew citation from the Pangasinenses, through Governor Amado Espino, Jr., who thanked the senator for his quick response, which made possible the rescue of more than a thousand people from the wrath of the typhoon.

"We are now concentrating on relief distributions and rehabilitation operations. Rehabilitation includes the medical station that we put up and the portable toilets and water bladders that we have installed in different evacuation centers. We have to ensure that there will be no outbreak of diseases," Gordon said.

"The worst is over from typhoon Pepeng. Thank you so much for your quick and concrete response. Your joint Red Cross/SBMA rescue team was the first we were able to field in Dagupan and later, when navigable, in Mangaldan. Your Olongapo-Red Cross team was the first to reach San Fabian at the height of the floods," Espino said in a text message to Gordon.

With the help of the Philippine Coast Guard, the Red Cross put up over the weekend a 50-bed medical station at the PhilSports Arena, formerly known as Ultra Stadium, in Pasig City to provide immediate medical attention to ailing evacuees.

The medical tent, which is expandable to accommodate up to 100 beds, is manned by five doctors and 12 nurses who take turns in going on-duty to provide medical treatment to ailing evacuees. Aside from doctors and nurses, Red Cross emergency response teams are also on standby to provide transport services, such as ambulances.

Manageable diseases or cases can be treated at the medical station and gives free medicine, if available in the station, to the patients. Patients can be confined for a maximum confinement of two days but patients who require longer confinement period would have to be referred to the nearest hospitals.

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