Round the clock monitoring of bodies of water ordered as typhoon looms

MANILA, Philippines — As Typhoon Marce (international name: Yinxing) looms, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R.Marcos Jr. ordered round-the-clock monitoring of bodies of water that might overflow and cause flooding.

“Siguraduhin na lahat ng ilog, lawa, baybayin, at anumang lagusan ng tubig ay nasa ilalim ng 24-hour na pagmamatyag. Paulit-ulit ko nang sinasabi yan. Hindi ako magsasawang ulit-ulitin yan,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

(Ensure that all rivers, lakes, coastlines, and any water channels are under 24-hour surveillance. I’ve said this repeatedly. I won’t tire of saying it again and again.)

“Sa mga dams na maapektuhan, ipinauubaya ko sa mga ekspertong kawani ng mga ito na sundin ang nararapat na hakbang batay sa existing protocols kung may nagbabadyang  pag-apaw ng tubig,” he added.

(For dams that may be affected, I am entrusting the expert personnel to follow the necessary steps based on existing protocols in case of an imminent overflow.)

Marcos, in a situation briefing last October 23, ordered the gradual release of water in dams to prevent overflow during intense rains brought by typhoons.

Based on the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s 11 a.m. bulletin, Marce might cause a storm surge within the next 48 hours in the low-lying coastal areas in Northern Luzon.

The storm surge warning covers Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and Isabela.

Marce was last spotted some 305 kilometers (km) east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, or 315 km east of Aparri, Cagayan.

It was packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 185 kph.