As Super Typhoon Pepito continues to affect different parts of the country on Sunday, Nov. 17, Malacañang is leaving the suspension of classes and government work for Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, to local government units (LGUs).

In a statement, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the decision was made following consultation with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and relevant government agencies.

However, it urged the local chief executives to consider the situation in their respective localities in deciding whether to suspend classes and work in government offices on Monday.

Super Typhoon Pepito made landfall in Panganiban, Catanduanes on Saturday evening and in Dipacula, Aurora on Sunday afternoon.

The provinces of Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino remain under Signal No. 5 as of 5 p.m. on Sunday while Metro Manila is at Signal No. 1.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-Phivolcs) issued preemptive warnings on lahar flows in affected provinces on Sunday.

Recognizing the recent activities of Mayon, Pinatubo, and Taal volcanoes and the trajectory of 'Pepito,' the DOST-Phivolcs strongly recommended increased readiness and vigilance of communities in pre-determined zones of lahar and related hazards.

Phivolcs said Mayon volcano's pyroclastic density current (PDC) deposits may occupy the watershed areas while potential lahar and sediment-laden streamflows may occur along the Miisi, Buyuan, Binaan, Anoling, Quirangay, Mininila, Masawarag, Muladbucad, Nasisi, Mabinit, Matanag, Basud and Bulawan Channels in Albay province.

For Pinatubo, the agency said significant PDC deposits from the 1991 eruption remain in the watershed and may be confined to river channels.  But they could become muddy streamflows in Sto. Tomas-Marella and the Bucao River systems and even floods in the lower and adjacent communities of San Marcelino, San Narciso, San Felipe, and Botolan in Zambales Province.

Muddy streamflows may also be generated along the O’Donnel and Pasig-Portero River systems, draining the Pinatubo edifice in the north and southeast that may affect downstream communities in Tarlac and Pampanga provinces.

Phivolcs likewise issued warnings of muddy streamflow, muddy runoff, and volcanic debris flows around Taal Volcano to Agoncillo, Laurel, and Talisay in Batangas province.