No time for finger-pointing; focus is on rescue ops -NDDRMC exec

Local government units, which have their own contingency plans, should warn their constituents about what to expect from typhoons, a disaster management official said Thursday as Typhoon Ulysses brought back memories of 2009's Ondoy.

"'Yung pag-aalarm po, o 'yung pagbibigay ng abiso sa ating mga kababayan ay nakasalalay po sa ating local government units because they have prepared these contingency plans," Assistant Secretary Casiano Monilla of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said at a press conference.

In the case of Marikina, he said the city government has "measurements" in the Marikina River to indicate the alarm level. As important, he said, is immediate action when warnings are issued.

Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro has said local authorities are now overwhelmed as floodwaters in the city breached Ondoy levels. The mayor said they need additional rescue boats and rescue personnel. Many residents were stranded and some of them had hypothermia, he said.

Monilla claimed that the NDRRMC is now "more prepared."

"We are more prepared when it comes to this dahil napagplanuhan na rin po yan, meron na ring nailgay na warning systems ang ating mga local government," he said.

What is critical, he said, is the "promptness of the execution and even the notifications, hindi lamang sa mga kababayan natin kundi sa mga responding units nila para makapag-react kaagad."

He said the Department of the Interior and Local Government monitors LGUs' compliance with disaster preparedness standards.

"Siguro we need to revisit, tingnan natin ano yung mga kailangan talaga, mga decision points na hindi pa nagagawa to be able to prevent any occurrences na kagaya nito na naman, another emergency," Monilla said.

Monilla also said the NDDRMC made its own efforts in preparing for the typhoon, like meeting with its regional counterparts, which in turn discussed plans with local disaster risk management offices. He claimed the council was not caught "flat-footed."

He said they are now in the thick of rescue operations.

The official also said he would not say there was a mistake in the forecasts of state weather bureau PAGASA, but said they cannot immediately predict the amount of rainfall a weather disturbance will bring.

"It's not time for us to point fingers, sorry to say that, but what we are focusing now is the conduct of rescue operations," he said when asked about supposedly late warnings.

"Let us finish the operations, we save lives first then saka na siguro natin pag-usapan 'yan," he added.

Typhoon Ulysses is now located over the West Philippine Sea after leaving heavy flooding over parts of Luzon, even as Signal No. 3 remains up over five areas.

In its 11 a.m. advisory on Thursday, PAGASA warned of heavy to intense with at times torrential rains that can be expected over Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, and Tarlac until Thursday afternoon.

The Cordillera Administrative Region, mainland Cagayan Valley, and Babuyan Islands, Calabarzon, Metro Manila, Mindoro Provinces, Marinduque, and the rest of Central Luzon, on the other hand, may experience moderate to heavy with at times intense rains, the weather bureau said.

Light to moderate with at times heavy rains are likewise expected over Visayas and the rest of Luzon. -MDM, GMA News