NTC to telcos: Ensure presence of personnel, generators amid Typhoon Rolly’s threat

MANILA, Philippines — As Typhoon “Rolly” threatens to batter the Central and Southern Luzon in the next days, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has ordered all telecommunication companies to maintain a sufficient amount of staffers aside from placing generators on standby.

NTC said in a memorandum on Friday that telcos should also start prepositioning mobile cell sites in the areas that may be affected by Rolly, should communications infrastructure be affected by the typhoon.

Results of the preparation, NTC said in the memo signed by Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, should be notified to the commission.

“[…] You are hereby directed to ensure that there are sufficient number of technical and support personnel and standby generators with extra fuel, tools, and spare equipment in the areas forecast to be affected by the incoming Typhoon Rolly,” NTC said in its memorandum.

“In line with this, you are also directed to preposition mobile cellsites in the affected regions and these should be made ready for deployment anytime,” it added.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services  Administration (Pagasa) said in its severe weather bulletin earlier that Rolly was spotted 980 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora.

It now packs maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, and gustiness of up to 265 kph. Pagasa expects it to intensify further in the coming hours.

Rolly may make landfall between Aurora and northern Quezon on Sunday night or early Monday morning.  Aside from that, the state weather bureau also says that Signal No. 3 and 4 may be raised in some areas, while acknowledging that there is a chance of Rolly becoming a super typhoon.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 is already raised in Catanduanes.

Apart from Rolly, Pagasa is also monitoring another weather disturbance in Tropical Storm Astani, which is still outside the Philippine area of responsibility.  Astani, which will be called “Siony” once it enters local waters on Sunday, is also expected to develop into a typhoon.

JE