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MANDATORY EVACUATION, INIUTOS BAGO DUMATING ANG TS LEON

By: Victor Baldemor Ruiz

AYAW na ni Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro na may mga hahabol pa sa Todos Los Santos o mga pamilya na magluluksa pa, kaya ipinag-utos nito kahapon ang mandatory evacuation sa mga peligrosong lugar na posibleng hagupitin ng papalapit na Tropical Storm Leon, upang huwag nang madagdagan pa ang naitalang 153 katao na ‘feared dead and missing’ bunsod ng TS Kristine.

Sa 8 a.m. situation report ng Office of Civil Defense, nasa 125 na ang nasawi na under validation pa, 28 ang nawawala habang may 115 naman ang sugatan at pinangangambahang lolobo pa ang nasabing bilang.

Kahapon ay nagpalabas ng direktiba si Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr., na siya ring Chairman ng National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), na agarang ipatupad ang puwersahan o mandatory evacuations sa mga lugar na tinutukoy na high-risk areas dahil sa inaasahang masamang panahong idudulot tropical storm ‘Leon’.


Bilang tugon, agad na nagpalabas ng isang memorandum ang Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) na nag- aatas sa lahat ng local government units (LGUs) na tumalima.

Ang nasabing memorandum ay nilagdaan ni DILG Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Lord Villanueva, kung saan binigyang-diin ang agarang pagkilos.

“This measure is very crucial to save lives. Being proactive will save lives; it’s better to take action now than to regret later and lose lives,” mariing paliwanag ni Teodoro.

Inaatasan ang mga Local Chief Executives (LCEs) na ipatupad and forced evacuations ‘as necessary’, ayon sa Republic Act 10121 at ng Local Government Code, na tumitiyak sa mga residente na nasa high-risk areas na agad na ma- relocate sa mga designated evacuation centers o safe areas.


Ayon naman kay Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), ang nasabing kautusan ay inilabas sa gitna ng pinaigting na humanitarian assistance and disaster response ng national government para maayudahan ang mga naapektuhan ng severe tropical storm ‘Kristine,’ na nakalabas na ng Philippine area of responsibility habnag nagbabnta na naman ang isa pang panibagong bagyo.

Inaasahang lalakas ang tropical storm Leon sa loob ng 24 oras at tuluyang magiging isang typhoon sa loob ng 24 oras.

“Upon Teodoro’s directive, the DILG has issued a memorandum to all local government units, as well as DILG regional directors of Regions I, II, V, and CAR, and the chiefs of the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection, to implement forced evacuation protocols in anticipation of potential heavy rainfall,” ayon pa sa OCD.

“Let’s continue to be proactive, especially with Bicol’s current situation where several towns and cities still remain under water. We always aim for zero casualty in the event of disasters, so we strongly urge the public to heed our protocols,” ani Teodoro.


Tags: Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr.

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