Pag-asa Coast Guard station destroyed

MANILA, Philippines — Except for the flagpole, almost all structures at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station on Pag-asa Island in Palawan have been reduced to rubble due to Typhoon Odette.

PCG spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo said a disaster assessment was conducted on the island on Tuesday using a Cessna Caravan 2081 of the PCG Aviation Force.

Balilo said PCG teams did not find any fishing boat on the island.

It was only last month when the PCG station in Pag-asa was inaugurated.

Balilo said the BRP Cape Engano MRRV 441 is being readied to be used to transport relief assistance of typhoon victims.

Balilo said the BRP Sindangan conducted a ferry mission on Dinagat Island with the help of the Caraga police. The vessel transported 250 stranded persons, 22 motorcycles and a bicycle from San Jose Port to the Port of Surigao City.

He said the PCG would send relief supplies to typhoon victims in Roxas in Palawan, Pandanon Island in Bohol and parts of Surigao del Norte.

The PCG Task Force Kalinga appealed for assistance to communities devastated by Odette through the Landbank account of the PCG Support System Foundation Inc.

Balilo said the PCG foundation accepts in-kind donations such as potable water, face masks, relief goods, toiletries, diapers, sanitary pads, slippers, new clothes, blankets, medicine, soap, sleeping mats, flashlights, candles and tents.

Interested individuals who wish to send donations in kind should coordinate with the PCG through its public affairs office at 0927-560-7729; civil relations service, 0977-642-6000, and logistics systems command, 0927-852-3944.