‘Nona’ mars Aquino’s sked

PRESIDENT Aquino on Tuesday canceled two scheduled engagements in order to meet his Cabinet officials and get the latest information on Typhoon “Nona” that barreled through Sorsogon and Albay.

Mr. Aquino directed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to focus “on the restoration of power and communications and debris-clearing operations in typhoon-affected areas,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. in a statement.

Coloma said the situation in Mindoro was also closely watched because of the continuous rains brought by Nona.

The weather bureau has Signal No. 3 is raised over Mindoro and Lubang island.

Coloma quoted Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin as saying that the NDRRMC would be coordinating with local disaster and management councils to determine when people who sought shelter from the typhoon at the evacuation centers may be allowed to return to their homes.

The President was supposed to attend the inauguration of Cinematheque Manila, a movie house specializing in avant garde films, located on T.M. Kalaw Street in Manila.

Mr. Aquino was also scheduled to lead the unveiling of the statue of National Artist for Cinema, Gerry de Leon, the most awarded filmmaker in the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences. Nikko Dizon