Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto ‘Gibo’ Teodoro Jr. on Sunday urged the public to comply with preemptive evacuation directives as Super Typhoon ‘Uwan’ sweeps across the country.
In making his appeal, Teodoro cited reports of people refusing to leave their homes despite calls for preemptive evacuation.
“Kaya magkakaroon ng forced evacuation sa iba’t ibang lugar na kakayanin pa (So there will be forced evacuations in different locations as circumstances allow),” he said.
The DND chief and concurrent chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) appealed to the public to obey evacuation orders, so they will not have to be rescued when the situation worsens.
Teodoro said refusing to follow preemptive evacuation measures will put the lives of not just residents, but the rescuers at risk. He also warned of possible consequences, should residents refuse to follow forced evacuation orders.
“Ito po ay labag sa batas at (This is against the law and is an act of) disobedience to a person in authority. Ayaw po natin umabot sa ganoon dahil buhay po ang ating ipinagtatanggol dito (We do not want to get to that point because we are protecting lives),” he said.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said over 900,000 individuals or more than 270,00 families have been evacuated preemptively as of 11 a.m. on Sunday. Around 522 evacuation centers are operating in various parts of the country.
The OCD has also received reports of power and signal outages in parts of the Bicol Region, as well as Eastern Visayas.
Teodoro visited the Lead Joint Information Center for Coordinated Crisis Response. Under his directive, a new Joint Information Center (JIC) has been established “to enhance coordination and communication during critical situations.”
Key agencies including the OCD, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, and Philippine Coast Guard are part of the JIC.
OCD Deputy Administrator for Administration Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV will lead the initiative “to ensure unified and efficient public information management during emergencies.”
