MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Tuesday assured it is closely monitoring the ongoing operations for Severe Tropical Storm Maring and that relief and rescue efforts are underway.
“Rescue personnel and teams from the local government units are on the scene as we assure all requests for rescue and assistance are being acted upon by all relevant agencies,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
“Support from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection are likewise mobilized and deployed,” he added.
Roque said that as of 6 a.m. on Tuesday, some 465 families or 1, 585 persons in Regions 2 and 8 have been pre-emptively evacuated.
He added that power and water supply restoration and clearing operations of roads are also ongoing in affected areas, citing a report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Roque noted that the Department of Social Welfare and Development has more than P128 million standby funds.
Some 373,737 family food packs worth more than P219 million are also available, he added.
“We ask the public to continue to take precautionary measures, observe minimum public health standards, and cooperate with their respective local authorities in case of an evacuation,” Roque said.
Severe Tropical Storm Maring is about to exit the Philippine area of responsibility, according to the 11 a.m. update issued by the state weather bureau PAGASA.
It was last spotted 315 kilometers west of Calayan, Cagayan. It is packing maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 125kph as it moves westward at 20kph.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 remains hoisted over Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the northern portion of Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur.
Meanwhile, TCWS No. 1 is up over the rest of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, the northern portion of Bataan, and the northern portion of Quezon including Polillo Islands.
PAGASA said heavy to intense rains are expected over Ilocos Region, Benguet, Ifugao, Abra, and Mountain Province.
Moderate to heavy rains are also likely over Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, and the rest of Cordillera Administrative Region.
Light to moderate with at times heavy rains are likely over Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, and the rest Central Luzon.
The state weather bureau said that under these conditions, scattered to widespread flooding and rain-induced landslides are possible especially in areas that are highly susceptible to these hazards.
Monsoon rains are also possible over Western Visayas, MIMAROPA, and CALABARZON in the next 24 hours due to the effects of the southwest monsoon being enhanced by the Maring.
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