Coast Guard on heightened alert for ‘Hagupit’

MANILA, Philippines—”Let’s aim for zero casualty.”

The Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday placed on heightened alert all its units in Bicol, Eastern Visayas and southeastern Mindanao in preparation for Typhoon “Hagupit,” which is to be renamed Typhoon “Ruby” by the state weather bureau when it enters Philippine territory.

Vice Admiral Rodolfo Isorena, the Coast Guard’s commandant, directed PCG stations in these areas to put on standby their emergency response teams, which he said “should be ready for dispatch upon the issuance of typhoon signals” by the weather bureau.

In an advisory, Isorena also asked Coast Guard units to “be aggressive in informing the public, especially local fishermen in these areas, on the safety precautions they need to observe during weather disturbances.”

PCG stations should also “render regular updates on sea and weather conditions in their respective areas of jurisdiction and help monitor the status of the typhoon for the stakeholders to be informed accordingly,” Isorena said.