By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With an upcoming storm set to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) within the next few days, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reiterated his call to preposition first responders and relief assistance in anticipation of its possible impact.
This, as Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro emphasized the strength that Tropical Storm Fung-Wong has accumulated even prior to entering Philippine waters.
Castro, moreover, noted the President’s earlier directive to ensure prompt disaster response and intervention to areas affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.
However, when asked about other factors that may have contributed to the widespread flooding in Visayas over the past few days, such as deforestation, illegal quarrying, and unregulated development, Castro underscored the need for these issues to be scrutinized vis-à-vis an ongoing probe into ‘ghost’ and anomalous flood control projects.
“Kung ganyan po ang nakikita, dapat lamang tingnan po ito ng pamunuan ng DENR kung anuman ang nagaganap at kung ito ba ay hindi lamang dahil sa kalamidad, hindi lamang ito Act of God—kundi may kinalaman ang mga pagpapabaya ng mga tao at ang pang-aabuso sa ating natural resources o sa ating kalikasan.”
The Palace mouthpiece, meanwhile, stressed that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) should look into this matter given the gravity of the situation in Visayas and various environmental issues linked to widespread inundation of communities in the area—even without a directive from the Chief Executive.
Marcos earlier partook in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) situation briefing, where government relief efforts to Tino-affected areas and preparations for the incoming weather system were brought into focus, prompting the declaration of a state of national calamity.
av
