Military sends relief goods, more personnel to Tacloban

MANILA, Philippines - More relief goods have started to arrive in Tacloban City, one of the areas in Leyte severely devastated by super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan), the military said Monday.

Lt. Commander Gregory Fabic, spokesperson of the Philippine Navy, said BRP Dagupan carrying food packs and boxes of bottled water arrived at the Tacloban City pier at 3:20 p.m. on Saturday.

Fabic said another Navy ship, BRP Bacolod City also arrived in Tacloban City around 5 p.m. Sunday.

He said that the Navy ships have brought 328 tons of relief goods to Tacloban City.

Lt. Jim Alagao, spokesperson of the Armed Forces' Central Command, said that Lockheed C-130 cargo planes arrived in the typhoon-devastated city before 7 a.m. Monday.

Alagao said the planes were carrying assorted relief goods.

The cargo planes also brought 90 members of the Philippine National POlice-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) to help maintain peace and order in the city, where there have been a report of widespread looting.

Meanwhile, Fabic added that the Philippine Navy has also sent an engineering contingent to help in the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts in Leyte and other provinces in Visayas hit by the super typhoon.

He also said that three Marine disaster relief response teams (DRRTs) have been placed on standby for possible deployment to Tacloban City.

The teams consist of two officers and 28 enlisted personnel with two M-35 trucks, two disaster response operations trailers, two DeHaviland boats with outboard motors, chain and circular saws, ambulance and one "LARC-v" amphibious vehicle.

Two Navy medical teams have also arrived in Tacloban via C-130 cargo plane and one more team has been put on standby.