Malacanang urges Metro Manila residents to take
caution as typhoon exits, enhances southwest monsoon
Malacanang urged residents of Metro Manila and
nearby provinces on Sunday to take extra precaution as the state weather bureau
has raised the yellow rainfall advisory as typhoon Odette (international
codename Usagi) exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said in a press briefing aired over government-run radio dzRB Radyo ng Bayan
that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA) had monitored that moderate with occasional heavy
rainfall is affecting Metro Manila, Zambales, Bataan, portions of Rizal,
Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Pampanga and most likely to continue for the next
three hours.
“According to the state weather bureau or
PAGASA, all public storm warning signals are now lifted because typhoon
‘Odette’ is out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility,” Valte said.
“However, nae-enhance pa rin po ang southwest
monsoon kaya we are experiencing a bit of rain, if you noticed, since last
night and which is also why PAGASA has raised the yellow rainfall advisory over
Metro Manila and some of the neighboring provinces, and we expect that—some of
these rains to continue for at least the next two hours or so,” she added.
She said that government, through the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), was currently monitoring and extending
assistance to all of those affected by typhoon 'Odette' that battered Batanes
Islands and parts of Northern Luzon over the weekend.
“Just a quick update: The NDDRMC was able to
monitor 13 incidents in Regions I, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, and CAR relative to
the effects of typhoon ‘Odette’. Nagkaroon ng tatlong landlside incidents,
merong flooding incidents, at meron pang... —isang storm surge at isang
insidente ng capsized boat sa Aurora na na-monitor ng NDRRMC,” Valte said.
“The NDRRMC continues to do this and to lend the
necessary assistance to local government
units that asked for our help. As we mentioned, the cost of assistance for CAR,
for Region I, for Region II, and Region III—from DSWD pa lang po ito—umaabot na
po ‘yan ng P10,860,020 worth of assorted relief goods that were provided the
affected families and strandees,” she said.
She
appealed to those willing to help in relief efforts to contact the DSWD in
order to immediately facilitate the sending of their donations to affected
communities.
“For the Batanes relief and rehab operations,
for airlifting, and sealifting operations, you can contact Mr. Roel Montesa of
the DSWD at 0926-346-9927. You can drop off your donations at the National
Resource Center ng DSWD, diyan po ‘yan sa may Chapel Road, sa likod po ng CAAP
diyan sa Pasay City, malapit po sa NAIA II,” Valte said. PND (rck)
Malacanang says DOH working towards addressing
eviction notice of Philippine Children's Medical Center
Malacanang said on Sunday that the Department of
Health, through its Secretary Enrique Ona, is working towards addressing the
eviction notice leveled by the National Housing Authority (NHA) on the
Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) in Quezon City unless it purchases
the land the hospital is built on worth P1-billion.
In a press briefing aired over government-run
radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail
Valte sought to allay fears of the patrons and patients of the PCMC from being
barred to utilize and being evicted from the services of the
government-subsidized medical center by saying the DOH was working with
concerned government agencies to arrive at a resolution to the eviction notice.
“Parang transfer of title lang daw po ang
pinag-uusapan diyan and rest assured that the DOH will be working with the
other agencies, as it has in the past, to solve similar problems—to solve this
particular issue that is confronting PCMC,” Valte said.
She assured Filipinos that the DOH was on top of
the situation to ensure the continued operations of the PCMC.
“Opo, tinitiyak po ‘yan ng DOH. Sa aking
pagkakaalam ay meron silang mga dating ganito nang problemang kumompronta po sa
kanila. At sa pamamagitan ng tulong ng mga iba ring ahensya ng pambansang
pamahalaan ay nahanapan naman nila ng magandang solusyon,” Valte said. PND
(rck)
