President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered government agencies to maximize logistics and resources as the country faces overlapping disaster responses, continuing recovery operations in storm-hit Northern Luzon while preparing for Typhoon “Opong,” which is expected to make landfall later this week.
“This is important because we need to know how to maximize whatever logistics and resources we have now,” President Marcos said during a briefing with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in Quezon City.
“We are still responding to the damage left by Typhoon Nando and the southwest monsoon in Northern Luzon, while at the same time preparing for the expected landfall of Opong in the Visayas.”
State weather bureau PAGASA reported that “Nando” has moved west of Macau in southern China, allowing authorities to shift their focus to “Opong,” which was last tracked 815 kilometers east of Mindanao on Tuesday.
“Opong” is expected to strengthen into a typhoon within 24 hours, bringing heavier rainfall and stronger winds as it nears the eastern seaboard.
The system is forecast to make landfall in Samar province between Friday morning and Saturday morning, passing very close to Catanduanes by Friday noon.
It will then move across Calabarzon and approach Metro Manila by early Saturday, PAGASA said.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 has been raised in Samar provinces and is expected to escalate as the storm intensifies.
PAGASA warned of heavy rainfall in Eastern Visayas and the Bicol Region, with torrential rains forecast over Northern Samar and Sorsogon from Thursday noon until midday Friday.
Flooding and landslides are possible in these areas, prompting officials to urge local governments and residents to prepare early.
As the storm moves closer to the country’s landmass, widespread rainfall is expected in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and parts of Central Luzon.
Authorities also issued an early storm surge warning for coastal communities in Bicol, where surges could reach up to three meters.
For his part, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said post-disaster operations in the north and pre-emptive preparations in the Visayas are ongoing.
About 7,000 families are currently staying in evacuation centers in Northern Luzon, where authorities are still collecting reports of damage, including several deaths from landslides and a missing fisherman in Aurora. Another fatality was reported in Cagayan.
Teodoro said the government needs better weather conditions before it can conduct a thorough damage and needs assessment. Preliminary reports place agricultural losses at P15 million, but validation is still ongoing.
According to Teodoro, the Department of National Defense is focused on providing logistics support to transport essential goods. Prepositioned relief supplies remain sufficient, and road-clearing operations are underway to ensure access in case of worsening weather.
