MANILA, Philippines — While on holiday break in the United States, Vice President Leni Robredo monitored weather conditions and helped set up local relief operations for victims of Typhoon Nina.

In a statement, Robredo’s spokesperson Georgina Hernandez said the vice president has been monitoring and directing the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to work with regional officials and agencies in setting up local relief centers for immediate emergency response ground.

The relief operations were tagged "Task Force Tindog Bicol."

“Furthermore, the Vice President has been in constant communication with her team since Friday. She has also deployed a team in Bicol to assist local relief operations,” Hernandez said in a statement.

We're setting up a Relief Operations Center first thing tomorrow at our former District Office at the Naga City Hall Compound. — Leni Robredo (@lenirobredo) December 25, 2016

Compiling all reports now so please keep them coming. Meantime, please make sure you are all safe until the rains & winds have died down. — Leni Robredo (@lenirobredo) December 25, 2016

Robredo herself used her social media accounts to raise alert and ask the public to send reports on the typhoon. She said her office is setting up a relief operations center in Naga City.

"We hope to shift from relief to rehabilitation soon as more and more families are returning to their houses. Been receiving a lot of reports of damaged school buildings and houses. Damage to agricultural crops has also been extensive," Robredo said in her Facebook account.

"Our office is willing to assist in the preparation of requests for assistance from national government agencies and the preparation of documentation requirements. Donations of housing materials will be much appreciated," she added.

Hernandez said Robredo is coordinating with the Angat Buhay partners and other private sector groups in Manila for donations of both food and non-food items to be transported and deployed to Bicol. Bicol region was heavily hit by Nina as it made landfall on Christmas Day.

"While we have faith in the resilience of our people, we still call on the Filipino public to help out in the on going relief efforts of all agencies and private sector partners to alleviate suffering in typhoon-hit areas during this very special time of the year," Hernandez said.

"In the spirit of Christmas, let us give hope to many of our brothers and sisters and enable them to bounce back faster from this latest trial in their lives," she said.

Amid criticisms on social media that the vice president is absent from relief efforts, Hernandez said Robredo is in the US for a family reunion during the holiday break, citing that it was planned more than a year ago.

“She will be going home to Naga as soon as she arrives,” Hernandez said.