MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed local government units (LGUs) to immediately address the waste management problem left by severe tropical storm Enteng.
Marcos made the pronouncement as he assured the public that the government remained on top of the effects of Enteng as it continued to affect the northern portions of Luzon.
“Tinatawagan ko ang ating mga LGU na agad na tugunan ang waste management issue na maiiwan ng bagyo,” said Marcos in a statement.
(I call on our LGUs to immediately address the waste management issue left by the typhoon.)
“Ang ating mga katuwang sa DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) ay nasa ating mga komunidad para umpisahan na ang clearing operations ng mga apektadong national roads,” he added.
(Our DPWH partners are in our communities to begin the clearing operations of the affected national roads.)
READ: Palace: Local governments lead response to Storm Enteng’s onslaught
Meanwhile, with the forecast exit of Enteng from the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday morning, Marcos reminded the public to continue following the advice of LGUs.
“Habang inaasahan natin itong lalabas ng Philippine Area of Responsibility bukas, hindi rito natatapos ang ating trabaho. Sundin po natin ang abiso ng mga lokal na awtoridad at gawin natin ang lahat para sa kaligtasan ng bawat isa,” he said.
(While we expect it to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility tomorrow, our work does not end there. Let’s follow the notice of the local authorities and let’s do everything for everyone’s safety.)
According to Marcos, the government is continuously carrying out response operations to assist those affected by the impact of Enteng.
Among the efforts are the continuous rescue operations, with 63,000 affected individuals now at 452 evacuation centers nationwide.
Over P16 million in humanitarian assistance has also been distributed to victims of Enteng, with P65.56 million more currently on standby, and P2.60 billion available food packs and non-food items.
READ: Over P16M in aid provided to victims of Tropical Storm Enteng – DSWD
Marcos also said that over 1,700 pieces of equipment have already been pre-positioned in various regions to ensure that roads will be passable.
He also said that power is already being restored with emergency communications equipment available along with more than 2,000 search, rescue, and retrieval assets available.
Based on the latest typhoon bulletin (5 p.m. of Sept. 3), the state weather bureau said Enteng was last spotted 165 kilometers west-northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, carrying maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to115 kph.