MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday reminded that local officials have the greenlight to initiate forced evacuations for residents when a calamity strikes.
According to Teodoro, it is difficult to give a directive on forced evacuation on a national scale to avoid causing panic, or false information among the public.
“We will let our regional directors and localities give direct directives on the right and immediate information if there will be forced evacuations,” said Teodoro in a press briefing for the preparation for Typhoon Marce.
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He also said that while there is data on which regions implement forced evacuation, it’s better if the local offices do it.
“We leave it to the local officials as with protocols to enforce the evacuations. They must have identified the areas already,” Teodoro added.
Teodoro noted that areas who don’t usually impose forced evacuation can coordinate with regional officials of the Office of the Civil Defense to make decisions whether such evacuation is necessary.
The Defense chief also reiterated that committing mistakes in forecast is acceptable as long as safety is prioritized.
“The DILG tasks the local officials to be prompt in informing our fellow citizens and identifying and evacuating residents.,” Teodoro stated.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Tuesday that the number of reported deaths due to tropical cyclones Kristine and Leo have now climbed to 151.
However, NDRRMC said that among this figure, only 20 deaths were validated. The two weather disturbances left 8,847,888 people or 2,249,345 families affected.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said in its 11 p.m. weather bulletin that Marce further intensified, as it was carrying maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gustiness of up to 170 km/h.