10 local chief executives ordered to explain absence amid Rolly’s onslaught

Ten local chief executives have been ordered by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año to explain their absence amid the onslaught of Super Typhoon Rolly.

In a televised briefing from Malacañang on Monday, Año said only ten out of 1,047 local chief executives in areas hard hit by Rolly were unaccounted for.

“Sampu lang ang unaccounted natin, so 99 percent po ay nasa kanilang mga lugar upang mag-supervise. ‘Yung sampu na wala ay na-identify na namin at ito ay aking pagpapaliwanagin,” he told President Rodrigo Duterte.

Año said 51 cities and 613 municipalities across 10 regions were hit by Rolly.

“Ang mga LCEs po ay nakapag-convene ng kanilang mga local DRRMC (disaster management council) upang magtalaga ng incident management center, search and rescue teams, clearing operation teams, medical teams, at nagsagawa po ng preventive evacuation,” he said.

Año also said 175,479 families or 619,544 individuals were evacuated by local authorities due to the typhoon.

The Office of Civil Defense earlier said at least 16 people died in the Bicol region alone amid the onslaught of Rolly.

In Catanduanes, one of the areas worst hit by the storm, 10,000 houses were damaged or washed out.—AOL, GMA News