Eleazar orders east Visayas police units into heightened alert due to Maring

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar on Friday ordered Eastern Visayas police units to be alert for possible disaster response operations due to Tropical Depression Maring.

Eleazar also directed nearby police regional offices (PROs) to render immediate assistance in affected provinces and evacuate stranded residents.

“I have placed our personnel in PRO 8 (Police Regional Office 8) and nearby areas on standby as their assistance may be required by our local government units in the region, particularly in the evacuation of residents in flood-prone or landslide-prone areas,” Eleazar said in a statement.

“Our police personnel in the region should be prepared for deployment anytime and ready to respond to any emergency,” he added.

Meanwhile, the PNP chief also ordered police officers to monitor forecasts released by state weather bureau PAGASA, to track the weather disturbances, and conduct pre-emptive evacuations if necessary.

“Kailangang naka-monitor din ang ating kapulisan sa PRO-8 sa pagtaya ng panahon ng PAGASA para alam nila ang tamang aksyon na dapat gawin at ang assistance na kailangan ng ating mga kababayan,” he said.

(Our police forces in PRO-8 must monitor PAGASA's weather forecast so that they know the proper action to be taken and the assistance that our fellow countrymen need.)

The trough of Tropical Depression Maring will possibly bring light to moderate with at times heavy rains over some areas in Luzon and the Visayas, as it slightly intensifies while moving erratically over the Philippine Sea, PAGASA said Friday.

The state weather bureau said the tropical depression will continue moving erratically as it gradually consolidates over the next 12 to 24 hours.

PAGASA said Maring may reach the tropical storm category by Saturday morning and a severe tropical storm by Monday morning. — DVM, GMA News