MANILA – The conduct of forced evacuations in areas in the path of Typhoon Marce (international name Yinxing) is up to the discretion of local officials, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Tuesday in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on government preparations for the country’s 13th tropical cyclone of the year.
“So, we leave it to the local officials, as per protocol, to enforce the evacuations. They must have identified the areas already,” Teodoro said. “It would be hard to say what areas should undergo forced evacuations as this could result in ‘false information’ and ‘panic.'”
For areas or localities that do not practice forced evacuations, Teodoro said the Department of National Defense (DND), through the regional Office of Civil Defense (OCD) officials, has asked local officials to “compare information” to make their best prediction on the situation.
“Ngayon, we always urge everyone to err on the side of caution. Kung magkakamali tayo, sa ligtas tayo magkamali. So hayaan po natin at inaatasan ng DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) ang mga local officials na maging maagap sa pagbibigay ng impormasyon sa ating mga kababayan at maging maagap din sa pag-identify at paglikas sa mga tao,” Teodoro said. (Now, we always urge everyone to err on the side of caution. If we make a mistake, we better err on the safe side. So, we will let the DILG, the local officials, be prudent in giving the proper information to our countrymen and in identifying (risk areas) and evacuating people.)
Teodoro said the OCD’s social media pages are constantly providing updates, and they are coordinating with the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) in the dissemination of timely and relevant updates on the typhoon.
He also directed municipal disaster risk reduction and management officers to cascade disaster warnings to villages.
“Kung maaari po, iwanan po nating libre ang mga kalsada at kalye. Nakita na po natin na malakas ang hangin at ang baybaying dagat ay may mga malalaking alon, kaya sometimes po kalye lamang ang maasahan natin na tanging ugat ng pagbibigay ng relief goods at mga kinakailangang serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan. Kaya kung maaari at hindi po importante, wag pong gagamitin ang mga lansangan,” the defense chief said. (Let us keep roads and streets free. We have seen strong winds and big waves in our coasts, so sometimes, we only rely on roads in transporting and distributing relief goods and other essential services. So, if it’s possible and if it’s not essential, let us not use the roads.) (PNA)