The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) called on the public on Sunday, Aug. 10, to prepare anew for the possible impact of the southwest monsoon (habagat), including widespread flooding and landslides.

OCD Officer-in-Charge Asst. Sec. Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the threat of habagat still persists. This, even as tropical Cyclone “Fabian” had minimal impact on the country as it exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday, Aug. 9, while a tropical storm with international name “Podul” which will be named “Gorio” upon entering the PAR by Sunday night or Monday morning would be unlikely to directly affect the country.

“It is good news that Tropical Cyclone Fabian did not affect the country and Podul is unlikely to directly affect us. However, we should not be complacent, as we still face the threats posed by the southwest monsoon, or 'habagat' which may lead to renewed floods and landslides,” he said on Sunday, Aug. 10.

A public weather forecast of PAG-ASA showed that habagat would bring cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms over Mimaropa (Region 4B), Western Visayas (Region 6), Bicol (Region 5), and Quezon while partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms will persist over Metro Manila and the rest of the country.

Light to moderate speeds of wind and coastal water conditions will also be experienced nationwide.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Chairman and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. instructed local DRRMCs to ensure that crucial information is communicated to areas that will be affected by habagat’s force.

“We have already directed our OCD Regional Directors to strengthen public information strategies and mechanisms. However, the involvement of Local Government Units, Local DRRMCs, and other member agencies is essential to achieve this. To support these efforts, we also have an NDRRMC Crisis Communications Cluster to enhance our public information interventions,” Alejandro noted.

The OCD has issued a memorandum order directing regional and local DRRMCs to prepare a checklist outlining their preparedness measures.

Alejandro said the OCD continuously implements preparedness measures to mitigate the impact of habagat and ensure immediate response to any emergencies, particularly in areas with already saturated soils due to the impact of habagat and three typhoons last month.

The NDRRMC said around 9.7 million individuals or 2.6 million families were affected by the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones “Crising”, “Dante”, “Emong” and habagat from July 15 to July 31.

Around 68,500 individuals were still displaced, while the death toll stood at 37. Eight persons were also missing.

The damage to infrastructure was estimated at P16.5 billion while agricultural loss was estimated at P3.1 billion.