President Rodrigo Duterte will fly to the areas hardest hit by Typhoon “Ompong” (international name: Mangkhut)in northern Luzon to supervise disaster relief operations as soon as the weather clears up, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENTIn a separate statement, Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go said the President had been receiving continuous updates on the situation in the country’s northern provinces on Saturday. His clear and concise marching order was ‘Save lives, save lives,’” said Tolentino, the Duterte Cabinet’s disaster response coordinator. Renato Solidum Jr., the undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, said people in northern Luzon experienced a supertyphoon in 2016 and were not caught off guard. Pagasa weather forecaster Ariel Rojas, in a briefing on Saturday evening, said it may take until Monday to see improved weather conditions nationwide.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 15, 2018 23:26 UTC