President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asked the public to remain calm amid the calamity brought by typhoon Ondoy that flooded Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

President Arroyo also asked the Filipinos to help one another and practice “bayanihan,” particularly those people who need to be rescued who were trapped in flooded areas.

Mrs. Arroyo presided again this 2:00 p.m. at the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) meeting at Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City and optimistic that “we shall manage our way”.

NDCC chairman and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. reported that there were 5 casualties in Marikina City and thousands of people were rescued from their houses and taken to evacuation centers.

Teodoro also told Mrs. Arroyo during the NDCC meeting that they were closely coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the distribution of relief goods and other immediate needs of the flood victims in the different parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces severely hit by typhoon Ondoy.

Teodoro also told President Arroyo that the US forces provided rubber boats to speed-up the rescue and relief operations in flooded areas in Metro Manila, particularly in Marikina City, Pasig City, Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan City, Navotas, Malabon, Valenzuela, Pasay City, Cainta, Rizal and Bacoor, Cavite.

”We shall manage our way out of this latest natural calamity. Let us band together and look out for each other in the finest Filipino tradition of caring and sharing,” President Arroyo said.

President Arroyo will lead the distribution of relief goods in the flooded areas in San Simon town in Pampanga around 6:00 p.m. tonight.

Mrs. Arroyo will be assisted by San Simon Mayor Rodrigo Canlas and inspecting the flooded areas in San Simon town and in distributing relief goods to flood victims.

On Saturday, Mrs. Arroyo went to NDCC headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo to personally supervise the NDCC meeting to have a first hand information on the rescue and relief operations of the government.

Mrs. Arroyo boarded a military truck from Malacanang to attend an NDCC meeting in Camp Aguinaldo but was also stranded due to flood and was forced to ride an LRT and MRT to reach Camp Aguinaldo.

The President stayed until 5 a.m. Sunday at Camp Aguinaldo to personally supervise the NDCC operations.(PNA)
RMA/rudyma