Tawi-tawi: The Philippine Navy (PN) has announced that naval vessels from its Western Mindanao Naval Command (WMNC) have provided relief assistance to communities impacted by a large fire in Lamion, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.
According to Philippines News Agency, the WMNC conducted sealift operations through Task Force 61 to deliver humanitarian aid to those affected by the fire on February 3. For this mission, the patrol vessel BRP General Mariano Alvarez (PS-176) was deployed, leaving Bagong Calarian, Zamboanga City, on February 14 and arriving in Bongao Port the following day.
The vessel transported 802 boxes of kitchen kits, 440 boxes of food packs, and 697 jerry cans, all donated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region IX, for immediate distribution to families in need. Following this, the landing craft BRP Ivatan (LC-298) departed Bagong Calarian on February 17, carrying approximately 47,000 kilograms of additional relief supplies.
The cargo included kitchen kits, sleeping kits, hygiene kits, family kits, family food packs, and mission-essential equipment, including a 6-wheeler preloaded with supplies. These were sourced from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) to further assist the fire victims in Tawi-Tawi.
The PN stated that these sealift operations were conducted under the supervision of WMNC to ensure the safe, timely, and efficient transport of essential aid to geographically isolated and disaster-affected communities.
