PRRD sends Cabinet men to northern Luzon to monitor ‘Ompong’

FILE: OVERSEEING TYPHOON ‘OMPONG’ PREPARATIONS. President Rodrigo R. Duterte oversees the disaster preparedness measures for Typhoon ‘Ompong’ as he presides over a command conference with the members of his cabinet at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) office in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on September 13, 2018. (Robinson Niñal Jr./Presidential Photo)

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday sent some of his Cabinet members, particularly those from northern Luzon, to be his representatives and to personally monitor provinces that will be affected by Typhoon Ompong.

Duterte made the directive as he held a command conference at the headquarters of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) operations center at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The President particularly mentioned Transportation and Labor secretaries Arthur Tugade and Silvestre Bello III, who are from Cagayan and Isabela provinces, respectively.

“Tama nga sila (They are right) that I would need a face there. But I cannot be everywhere and anywhere. So tutal tagaroon naman sila(since they from there), I call on them to go there,” Duterte said in a media interview.

The President, however, clarified that every government department has field officers in every region who are in charge of pre-positioning food packs, medicines and other relief assistance in every calamity.

Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol is not from Luzon but the official from Cotabato has volunteered to look for supply of vegetables in Mindanao to augment the possible shortage of vegetables in Luzon, Duterte said.

“He is going out to Mindanao to look for sources of vegetables. Siguradong tatamaan yun mga tanim natin (For sure our plantation will be hit),” he said.

Piñol estimated that damage to rice and corn plantations could reach up to PHP7.9 billion and PHP3.1 billion, respectively, in a “worst case scenario.”

“We have prepared everything. We have advised farmers to harvest matured crops. We have been monitoring the progress of the typhoon through the help of PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration),” he said.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones, on the other hand, said some 7.7 million school learners or more than 19,000 public schools will be affected by the typhoon.

Duterte also designated presidential adviser on political affairs Francis Tolentino as his conduit for preparations and disaster response on “Ompong”.

“May I ask Atty. Tolentino, si Francis just to be my conduit. I may be around somewhere, I may decide to go out, I really do not know sotayo na lang (so we will communicate). Ikaw na lang (It’s you) representing the Office of the President,” he said.

“So all he has to do is to report to me the progress of whatever is being presented by the typhoon there in those places,” he told the media.

Duterte uged the NDRRMC members to keep constant communication with one another, particularly once “Ompong” makes a landfall.

He suggested the use of two-way radio communication instead of commercial phones dedicated for all concerned government agencies and another line exclusive for military and police.

“During a crisis, ‘pag puno ang tawagan, nag-overheat ang cellphone. Hindi makatawag (If there are too many calls, cellphones overheat, you can no longer call). The use of cellphones becomes inutile at some point,” Dutete said.

The President told the media that he is contented with reports and updates on preparations being done by different government agencies for Typhoon Ompong, which is set to make landfall on Saturday morning.

“Yes. I have been briefed and I said, I just did away with my speech because it was all motherhood. The nitty-gritty was already discussed, so I could understand already the apparatus being placed there. In the meantime, waiting for the crisis to happen because every typhoon is a crisis,” Duterte said.

Tugade, in his report, said the DOTr has prepared standby cash “for easy access” since the typhoon is expected to make a landfall on Saturday or Sunday.

The Office of Civil Defense said the vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have been pre-positioned near the path of the typhoon while national rapid quick response has already been established in different areas.

When asked if the country will seek assistance from other countries, Duterte said it would depend on the severity of the typhoon’s aftermath.

“If it flattens everything, maybe we need to have some help and if there are countries who are well-meaning but it’s too early to speculate,” he said.