By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Occidental 5th District Congressman Dino Yulo has issued an urgent call for additional assistance as clearing, retrieval and recovery operations continue in areas affected by Typhoon “Tino.”

In a series of public advisories posted on his official Facebook page, Yulo appealed to both chainsaw operators and drone owners within the district to volunteer their services to support the ongoing disaster response.

In his first post, he requested chainsaw operators to immediately report to his office to help clear fallen trees and debris blocking roads and communities.

A second advisory called on drone operators to volunteer in search operations for missing individuals across the district.

“We are appealing to our drone operators to volunteer and assist in speeding up the search for our missing persons in the 5th District. Please come to our office for coordination and further details,” Yulo said.

He added that the district remains in the early recovery stage, with continuous rains slowing down clearing and retrieval efforts.

“We’re still in the post-recovery phase — hopefully, once the rains stop, we can move faster,” he explained.

According to Yulo, around 60 individuals from the 5th District remain missing, although the exact number is still being verified as more residents continue to report missing family members.

“We can’t yet determine the exact figure because since yesterday, people have been coming to us seeking help,” he said.

K9 teams have also been deployed to assist in the search and retrieval operations, including efforts to locate the driver of a pickup truck that was swept away during the typhoon./CJ, WDJ