Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
If debris from North Korea’s rocket falls in your area, don’t touch it. Instead, call the fire department immediately.
Interior Secretary Jesse M. Robredo gave this and other instructions to northern Luzon governors, mayors and village chiefs on Monday as part of the government’s precautions against North Korea’s planned rocket launch this month.
Following the lead of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Robredo called on local officials to be alert throughout the five days during which North Korea plans to launch the rocket.
Robredo instructed them to take precautions against dangers, such as debris from the rocket falling within Philippine territory.
“Considering that the debris of the missile test might fall in Philippine territory, you are hereby directed to take all precautionary measures to prevent loss of lives and property,” Robredo said in a directive to local officials in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, V and the Cordillera Administrative Region, which the NDRRMC said were vulnerable as they were in the projected path of the rocket.
North Korea plans to launch the rocket between April 12 and 16.
Robredo also instructed the local officials to coordinate with the Coast Guard, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Navy, the Philippine National Police, the Red Cross, among other agencies, for any emergencies.
He told the officials to advise fisherfolk not to go out to sea during the launch period.
Ignoring international calls for it to stand down, North Korea is proceeding with the launch, claiming it is putting a weather satellite into orbit. But the United States and its allies believe North Korea is testing an intercontinental ballistic missile, in violation of UN regulations.
The Philippines is one of the countries in the path of the rocket. In an interagency meeting on April 3, the
NDRRMC identified areas on the eastern seaboard of Luzon that are in the path of the rocket, which could break up in flight and shower debris on areas below.
In his directive, Robredo advised the public to call the fire department if rocket debris falls in their areas. He said firefighters had training for such situations.
Robredo stressed that people should not touch the debris.
The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology has people and equipment to assist local governments in areas where debris may fall, he said.
As part of the precautions, the NDRRMC had declared a “no-fly zone” and urged ships and fishing boats to avoid waters in northern Luzon where debris may fall.
Meanwhile, NDRRMC Executive Director Benito Ramos admitted on Monday that the PNRI, contrary to a posting on his agency’s website, did not issue an advisory to the public to stay indoors from April 12 to 16. The advisory came from the NDRRMC, Ramos said.
The PNRI had denied issuing the advisory and said it saw no threat of radioactivity from falling rocket debris.
Ramos said he was worried about debris crashing on land. He explained that the rocket could veer off its projected path and fly over Philippine territory. He noted that Japan and South Korea had announced that they would shoot down the rocket if it entered their airspace.
“Even if it deviates by one degree it will reach land in northern Luzon,” Ramos said. “So stay indoors. That’s all our advisory is about.”
“Once [the rocket] disintegrates, we do not know how big or small the debris will be,” Ramos said. “It will all be misguided, meaning it’s to whom it may concern.”
Ramos said those who should stay indoors are the residents of Bugey, Gonzaga and Santa Ana towns in Cagayan; Palanan, Maconacon, Divilacan and Dinapigue towns in Isabela; Casiguran, Dilasag, Dinalungan, Baler and Dingalan in Aurora; Real, Infanta and General Nakar in Quezon; as well as residents of Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte.
Ramos said he would rather be criticized for being overcautious than for being too lax. “This is just to [impress] on the public awareness so [people] will not panic,” he said. “I may be criticized again and they will say they stayed indoors the entire day yet nothing happened. In that case, thank you.”
North Korea had set no definite date for the launch, but Ramos said he believed it would be on April 15, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the communist nation’s late founder, Kim II-sung.
Also on Monday, Philippine Airlines (PAL) said it would change the flight paths of several planes to avoid the rocket.
PAL said a dozen of its flights from the United States, Japan and South Korea would fly safely away from the rocket’s possible path to protect passengers.
The Philippine flag carrier said it had no plans to cancel any flights. With a report from AP