Malacañang assured residents who were affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Odette of round-the-clock assistance as it reiterated its call to stay vigilant and coordinate with their respective local government units (LGUs).
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement after Typhoon Odette caused severe damages in many areas in Visayas and Mindanao on Thursday evening, December 16.
As of 8 a.m. of December 17, Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal no. 3 has been raised in the northern portion of Palawan including Cagayancillo and Cuyo Islands, and Guimaras, the southern portion of Iloilo, and the southern portion of Antique in the Visayas.
"Government is assisting round the clock those affected by Typhoon Odette," Nograles said.
"We reiterate our call to the public to continue to remain vigilant, stay safe and dry, and cooperate with local authorities to ensure everybody’s safety," he added.
As of 8 a.m. of December 17, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total of 83,026 families or 332,855 persons have been pre-emptively evacuated in Region 6, Region 7, Region 8, Region 9, and CARAGA.
There were also 4,989 displaced families or 14,680 persons inside 192 evacuation centers in Region 5, Region 6, Region 8, Region 10, and CARAGA based on the NDRRMC bulletin.
According to Nograles, restoration of electricity was ongoing in a total of 62 cities and/or municipalities that experienced power interruption/outage.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided family food packs to disaster-affected families and continues to coordinate with affected local government units, to provide augmentation support and ensure that the immediate needs of our people are quickly addressed.
The Department of Transportation, meanwhile, announced that as of the evening of December 16, airport operations in Mactan Cebu Airport have been suspended until further notice.