Manila: The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Wednesday alerted local government units (LGUs) and communities amid the expected heavy rains in the coming days due to Tropical Depression Crising and other weather systems that could enhance the southwest monsoon (habagat). The OCD advised the LGUs to activate response plans, preposition relief items, and keep the public informed on the latest weather-related development. Communities, especially in flood-prone and coastal areas, were advised to prepare go-bags, monitor official updates, and follow evacuation orders if necessary.
According to Philippines News Agency, "May mga binabantayang weather system na maaaring magpalakas ng habagat, at posible rin ang bagyo sa mga susunod na araw. Kaya importante po na tayo ay maging handa, makinig, at sumunod sa mga abiso (We are monitoring weather systems that could enhance the southwest monsoon in the coming days, and it is also possible that there will be a tropical cyclone. This is why, it is important for everyone to be prepared, and to listen and comply with advisories)," OCD officer-in-charge Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a statement.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center (NDRRMOC) has raised its alert status to "blue" effective 11 a.m. to enable closer monitoring and coordination. Under the "blue alert" status, detailed duty officers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine National Police have been activated, and all OCD regional offices are directed to report incidents and coordinate with partners. A virtual emergency operations center is now active to support real-time response, the OCD said.
For his part, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. urged uniformed and civilian agencies to support early response and local readiness efforts. Alejandro said this coordinated effort is part of the whole-of-government approach mandated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., which emphasized the importance of a cohesive, multi-agency response to disasters. He assured the LGUs that they will get all the support they need in accordance with the directives of Marcos and Teodoro.
