Duterte satisfied with ‘Ompong’ preps

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he is satisfied with the preparations made by concerned government agencies as potential super typhoon “Ompong” (international name: Mangkhut) barrels toward the Philippines.

“Yes. I have been briefed… the nitty-gritty was already discussed so I could understand already the apparatus being placed there in the meantime waiting for the crisis to happen because every typhoon is a crisis,” Duterte said when asked by reporters if he was pleased with the preparation and disaster response schemes presented by government officials.

Duterte presided over a command conference with weather, disaster, and other officials at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) operations center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

During the meeting, Duterte ordered Cabinet officials to personally check on the provinces along the typhoon’s path.

READ: Duterte asks Cabinet officials to visit provinces along ‘Ompong’ path

The President also said that it is too early to ask for international aid, however, he insisted that if the typhoon “flattens everything, maybe we need to have some help” from other nations.

Earlier, Malacañang noted that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has readied P1.7 billion worth of assistance and food packs for distribution to families that would be affected by the typhoon.

It added that the Department of Health, Office of Civil Defense and other government agencies have already ensured that their teams and assets are ready for deployment.