Weather to improve but rains to persist — Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines — Residents of Metro Manila can expect improvement in the weather by tomorrow but rains will persist over the northern part of Luzon until the weekend, state meteorologists said.

The southwest monsoon, which was enhanced by three weather disturbances, will continue to bring scattered to widespread rains over Ilocos region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Batanes, Babuyan Group of Islands, Zambales and Bataan.

Light to moderate to at times heavy rains will prevail over Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and the rest of Central Luzon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) yesterday said a low-pressure area off Basco, Batanes was still unlikely to develop into a tropical cyclone.

The storm-enhanced southwest monsoon brought intense rain last weekend, triggering massive flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Disaster officials, however, advised the public to remain vigilant against possible flooding and landslides.

State agencies remained on full alert as flooding persists in several regions in Luzon.

Acting Social Welfare and Development Secretary Virginia Orogo said the department maintains its heightened alert and continues to coordinate and monitor the status of cities and municipalities affected by the heavy downpour since last week.

Local officials were urged to prioritize the construction or upgrading of evacuation facilities in their localities for their displaced constituents.

Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año said local government units should construct or upgrade the evacuation facilities in their areas, using a portion of 70 percent of their respective local disaster risk reduction and management fund.

Año cited the initiative of the Marikina City government which has provided its evacuees a unique version of modular tents.

The tents earned praise from netizens, who commended local government executives for doing their job.?Año said the current system of accommodating evacuees is to use schools, covered courts and other government infrastructure as evacuation centers, resulting in the interruption of classes and disruption of services of the government offices used.?

“Evacuees tend to face more threats to health, safety and overall wellbeing within said temporary evacuation facilities which were not built to serve such purpose. Local governments should therefore address this issue by putting up evacuation facilities to ensure the safety of their constituents when there is a need for evacuation,” he said.?

The state-run Social Security System (SSS) announced yesterday it allocated more than P863 million for a relief assistance program.?

SSS president and CEO Emmanuel Dooc said the agency opened its Calamity Assistance Package (CAP) to provide financial aid to its more than 61,000 affected members and pensioners.

The package offers a loan assistance program and an option for pensioners to advance their three months’ worth of pension.

“It is our duty to protect and assist our members in times of contingencies. We hope that this program will help them in their finances and acquire their basic necessities,” Dooc said.

SSS members and pensioners residing in calamity-stricken areas that have been declared under state of calamity by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) are qualified under the CAP.

The declared calamity areas are the provinces of Pangasinan, Cavite and Bataan; Paombong, Calumpit, Marilao and Hagonoy in Bulacan; Licab, Nueva Ecija; Olongapo City; Ramos, Anao, Camaling, La Paz, Moncada, all in Tarlac; Masantol and San Luis, Pampanga; San Jose de Buenvista, Antique; Barangay Kalayaan, Angono, Rizal; Occidental Mindoro; Asipulo, Barangay Bimpal, Lamut, Barangay Nayon, Lamut, Ifugao; and Marikina City.

To qualify for SSS calamity loans, a member whose home address or property is in a declared calamity area must have a minimum of 36 monthly contributions, six of which should be paid within the 12-month period preceding the date of application. 

However, members who availed of the SSS Loan Restructuring Program and those with final benefit claims, such as for total permanent disability and retirement, are excluded from the program.

Meanwhile, applicants under the advance three-month pension whose present address is different from the address in the SSS database should submit a barangay certification to prove that they reside in a declared calamity area.

The availment period for the assistance package is until Nov. 12, 2018, SSS said.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), for its part, is preparing an emergency employment program and possible assistance to workers displaced by the floods.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said DOLE is just waiting for the list from the DSWD to identify those in need of temporary employment.

“Despite our limited resources, DOLE is ready to provide assistance like emergency employment to those affected by the recent calamities in Metro Manila,” Bello said.

The NDRRMC reported that about 700,000 individuals were affected by the floods caused by the heavy monsoon rains over the weekend. Most of those affected were from Regions 1, 2, 3, Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region and National Capital Region.

Where’s the President?

During the heavy downpour over the weekend, many were asking where was President Duterte.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the President was aware of the situation but chose to lie low and stay away from media. 

“Like everyone, keeping warm, monitoring the situation. The President is a news junkie like everyone … so he was very concerned. He talks about resilience. He talked about readiness of government agencies to provide assistance. He was in contact with individuals to make sure that delivery of assistance would be facilitated,” Roque said. 

Roque said Duterte came back to Manila from Davao earlier than scheduled. The President flew to Manila last Sunday, according to his aide Christopher Go. 

Roque denied that Duterte was nowhere to be found, saying the President spent his rainy weekend at Bahay Pagbabago, his official residence at Malacañang, to monitor the situation.

“No, he was there. He was in a public events (program) and two private meetings. I understand that both events were anyway carried live by RTVM (Radio TV Malacañang) or PTV (People’s Television) – one of them — by my phone web page. At least one of the three web pages carried it live,” he said. 

Duterte led the oath taking of new appointees and the sendoff of delegates to the 18th Asian Games last Monday in Malacañang. – With Alexis Romero, Edith Regalado, Mayen Jaymalin, Janvic Mateo, Cecille Suerte Felipe