Malacañang said that it was continuously monitoring Typhoon Bising as it dumped rains in several parts of the country over the weekend.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque assured the public that the government is on top of the situation and is monitoring the typhoon round-the-clock.
(OPS / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
"We continue to monitor Typhoon Bising 24/7 as it maintains its strength and moves over the Philippine Sea east of Sorsogon, according to PAGASA," Roque said Sunday.
Roque, citing the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said preemptive evacuation has been carried out in Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Northern and Eastern Samar.
"Our concern is the safety of everyone. We therefore ask our people to remain alert and vigilant, cooperate with authorities and continue to observe minimum public health standards for protection against COVID-19," he said.
According to Roque, the Office of Civil Defense has conducted pre-disaster risk assessments at the national level and issued guidance and advisories for the early preparation of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (RDRRMCs) and the local government units (LGUs) since Wednesday, April 14, 2021.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development has Standby Funds of P556,438,277.65 in their Central Office and Field Offices and Stockpiles consisting of 370,058 Family Food Packs amounting to P188,605,445.38, as of April 17, 2021, 6 p.m.
The Department of Health, meanwhile, has assured that they have dedicated teams looking into the impact of any disaster, especially in monitoring the evacuation centers in relation to COVID-19 protocol. They have likewise prepositioned assorted medicines/COVID supplies to regional offices.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has prepositioned all response assistance and instructed all Unified Commands to assist RDRRMCs in pre-emptive evacuation and other relevant operations.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), on the one hand, activated nine regions, reiterating the use of OPLAN LISTO and LGU assistance to response operations.