by Noel Punzalan/PNA
The Department of the Interior and Local Government-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DILG-BARMM) on Monday alerted its local officials in the Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi (Basulta) area for Tropical Depression (TD) Chedeng.
“Based on the advisory given by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council today, forecast position of Chedeng is on the southwest portion of Zamboanga City and some areas in the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi within the next 48 hours,” lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, DILG-BARMM minister, said in a statement sent to various media outlets here.
He advised all Basulta local chief executives to activate their emergency operations centers, convene their Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils (LDRRMC), and undertake necessary mitigating measures for a possible calamity.
“All provincial directors, city and municipal local government operations officers are hereby directed to stay in their posts at the onslaught of Chedeng to personally oversee and spearhead the critical preparedness actions within their local government units,” Sinarimbo said.
The DILG-BARMM executive also encouraged provincial directors of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur to convene their respective LDRRMCs to monitor updates and advise disaster preparedness for the tropical cyclone.
As of 5 a.m. Monday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration monitored the center of the tropical depression at some 650 kilometers east of Davao City.
