President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. suspended government offices and classes in all levels in the National Capital Region (NCR) and six provinces in Luzon due to the heavy rains brought about by severe tropical storm “Florita” (international code name Ma-on) in the said areas.
Press Secretary Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles said the President made the decision based on the recommendation of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
“The President has declared a suspension of work and classes in all levels today until tomorrow (Wednesday, August 24), for all government offices and public schools in NCR, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Zambales and Bataan, due to Severe Tropical Storm Florita,” Angeles said in a brief statement issued on Tuesday.
This was contained in Memorandum Circular No. 5 issued by Executive Secretary Victor D. Rodriguez.
Exempted from the said declaration are frontline agencies, which are providing basic and health services, preparedness/response to disaster and calamities, and/or performance of other vital services.
The OCD said the suspension “will prevent any untoward incidents and will ensure the safety of the general public” in the affected areas.
Angeles noted private schools and offices would be given the discretion to also implement a similar suspension of operations.
Tropical Storm Florita made landfall over Maconacon, Isabela at 10:30 am last Tuesday and is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility the following day.
It caused the preemptive evacuation and issuance of flood warnings in Zambales, Tarlac, Bataan and Pampanga.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has over 100,000 available food packs, which can be distributed to storm-victims in regions 1 and 2.
Army HADR units deployed
The Philippine Army through the 5th Infantry Division (5th ID) mobilized on Tuesday its humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) units and equipment as Florita barreled toward the coastal areas of Cagayan and Isabela provinces.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that at least 180 families in the Cordillera Administrative Region and in Region 2 were preemptively evacuated as the government stepped up its response operations.
Several areas in Northern Luzon and Bicol regions were flooded due to heavy rains ahead of Florita’s landfall, but the NDRRMC said the flooding in some of the affected areas have already receded.
The NDRRMC said classes in the provinces of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Rizal and Quezon and in most parts of La Union and Pangasinan and some parts of Laguna have been suspended due to the typhoon.
Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the 501st Infantry Brigade of the 5th ID mobilized HADR teams and equipment in the towns of Lal-lo, Lasam and Rizal in Cagayan and Flora, Apayao.
On the other hand, the 77th Infantry Battalion (IB) and the 17th IB marshaled HADR teams that are now on standby in the towns of Alcala, Baggao, Gattaran and Santa Teresita, all in Cagayan.
Trinidad said the 502nd Infantry Brigade also mobilized HADR teams in the town of Echague, Isabela while the 86th Infantry Battalion and the 95th Infantry Battalion prepared HADR teams in the towns of Jones and San Mariano and the City of Ilagan in Isabela.
The 503rd Infantry Brigade and its line units likewise mobilized HADR teams and equipment in disaster-risk areas of Kalinga.
“Ready reserve units in the region are also on alert. The 202nd, 203rd and 204th Community Defense Centers of the 2nd Regional Community Defense Group mobilized reservists who will be deployed for possible rescue and relief efforts in Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya provinces,” Trinidad reported.