Malacañang has assured that the government is doing the necessary preparations for the possible effects of typhoon Mawar on the country, which has reintensified as a super typhoon. (Photo courtesy of PAGASA)
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil cited the statement of Office of Civil Defense (OCD) that its regional offices are monitoring the situation, in coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other concerned government agencies. According to OCD Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro IV, the OCD has initially alerted the local government units (LGUs) in the eastern seaboard of the country that could be affected by the storm. The OCD will also conduct a pre-disaster risk assessment with science agencies to identify the LGUs at risk and determine the prescribed alert level and corresponding response protocols. Alejandro said responders and rescue teams are now on alert and standby, adding that relief goods and other items were stockpiled and pre-positioned. As of Thursday, May 25, tropical cyclone Mawar has re-intensified into a super typhoon as it moves across the Pacific Ocean toward the country’s area of responsibility. Based on the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) 5 a.m. advisory, Mawar was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts as high as 230 kph. It added that the super typhoon may further intensify and reach a peak intensity of 215 kph on Saturday, May 27. Mawar was last spotted approximately 2,150 kilometers east of southern Luzon or still outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR). It will be called "Betty" once it enters the PAR.