By Connie Calipay
LEGAZPI CITY – Bicol’s Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) placed the region under blue alert on Tuesday as Super Typhoon Rosal (international name Champi) entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at about 10:40 a.m.
In Memorandum 60, series of 2026, RDRRMC Chairperson and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) – Bicol Director Bernardo Fortes Jr. directed regional response agencies and local disaster risk reduction and management councils to intensify preparations and closely monitor the weather disturbance’s potential effects.
Under the directive, concerned agencies must activate their Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) around the clock, ensure the readiness of response teams and assets, and implement contingency plans based on anticipated hazards.
Response clusters led by various agencies have also been activated, including the Department of Health (DOH); the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for food and non-food items, camp coordination and camp management, and protection of internally displaced persons; the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for emergency telecommunications; the Philippine National Police (PNP) for law and order; the Department of Education (DepEd) for education; and the OCD for early recovery.
Provincial, city, and municipal disaster risk reduction and management councils were likewise instructed to hold pre-disaster risk assessment meetings, activate their incident management teams, and prepare evacuation centers and resources for possible emergency operations.
Fortes also directed them to advise residents in flood-, landslide-, and lahar-prone areas to prepare for possible evacuation. Coastal communities vulnerable to storm surges were urged to remain alert and heed local advisories.
The memorandum also called for the immediate dissemination of weather bulletins and advisories to barangay disaster risk reduction and management committees and residents, as well as the prompt reporting of incidents to the RDRRMC Operations Center.
Response agencies must ensure the availability of personnel and equipment for possible deployment, test communication systems with higher-level operations centers and barangay disaster response teams, and keep emergency hotlines updated on official websites and social media platforms.
In its bulletin on Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised Wind Signal No. 1 over parts of Northern Luzon, including Batanes; the eastern portion of the Babuyan Islands, including Babuyan, Camiguin, and Didicas Islands; the eastern portion of mainland Cagayan; the northeastern portion of Isabela; and the northeastern portion of Catanduanes.
Meanwhile, DSWD-Bicol Director Norman Laurio said he was overseeing preparedness, resource monitoring, and coordination to ensure timely assistance for affected Bicolano families.
The regional social welfare office has prepositioned 410,158 family food packs (FFPs), 22,931 non-food items (NFIs), and 14,137 ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes in regional and local government unit warehouses to ensure timely assistance to affected families. (PNA)
(Infographic courtesy of DSWD-Bicol)
