The Philippine National Police (PNP) has started prepositioning policemen and other resources to the Bicol Region and other areas that are expected to be pounded by severe tropical storm “Opong”.

Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., said the troop and police resources deployment is in compliance with the order of President Marcos to mobilize the necessary government resources to contain the adverse effects of the weather disturbance.

He said the mobilization of policemen covers the area of Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Metro Manila and other areas in Central Luzon and nearby areas along the path of “Opong”.

“They were alerted and were tasked to ensure full coordination with the local government units and local disaster management offices for strategic deployment and unified and coordinated response,” said Nartatez.

President Marcos ordered all government agencies to maximize government resources in preparation for the expected landfall of “Opong” in the Bicol region.

The weather disturbance is also expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds in the southern part of Luzon and Metro Manila over the weekend.

Aside from preemptive evacuation and search and rescue, Nartatez said police forces in the affected areas were also tasked to secure evacuation centers and assist in the distribution of assistance.

He said policemen were also tasked to assist in clearing road networks to ensure the smooth flow of assistance to the affected areas.

“Your PNP and all its available resources will be on the frontline to ensure the safety of everybody from the threat of ‘Opong’. From preemptive evacuation to search and rescue operations, our personnel on the ground are ready to respond to any request for assistance, and any eventuality,” said Nartatez.

Nartatez said police commanders in areas that will not be directly affected by “Opong” were also instructed to put sufficient numbers of personnel on standby for worse case scenarios.

“We also tasked our personnel on the ground to keep their line of communication open particularly to barangay officials and to immediately find ways to conduct post-typhoon assessment in case the communication line is down,” said Nartatez.

He said regular reports and assessment will be maintained between the National Headquarters and the personnel on the ground.

Nartatez, however, urged local residents, particularly those in coastal communities and landslide and flood-prone areas to heed the advice of local officials for preemptive evacuation in order not to compromise not only their safety but also the frontliners.