PRESIDENTIAL hopefuls Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe made special calls on Saturday for people to follow the directions of local officials to keep them safe during the onslaught of Typhoon ‘‘Lando.’’
“I am calling on all our countrymen in Isabela and North Luzon to be safe. This is a strong typhoon,” Binay warned. “Let us follow the order of our local officials and disaster council. If they say evacuate, please do so.”
Binay, whose mother hailed from Cabagan, Isabela, also urged residents in municipalities along the typhoon’s path to prepare emergency and first aid kits.
He also instructed his office to bring immediately relief items for families that would be affected by the typhoon.
Poe also appealed to residents of areas in Typhoon Lando’s path to heed the call of local disaster management councils for evacuation to safer places if needed.
Poe issued the call in the wake of an advisory issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration that Lando may bring heavy to intense rains to the provinces of Isabela and Aurora starting Saturday.
“Let us not ignore the warnings from our Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Let us be prepared and heed the warnings from the authorities for our own safety,” Poe said.
“Let us not forget the lessons from the past disasters when both the public and government agencies were unable to respond immediately despite the preparations,” she said.
Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, also appealed to the public to help the government spread helpful information on the typhoon in the absence of a mobile disaster alert system.
Poe was referring to the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts’ Act, which has yet to be implemented more than a year after it was signed into a law by President Benigno Aquino.
“Retweeting a tweet or sharing a reminder from our disaster management agencies, or even just sending helpful text messages to our friends living in the typhoon’s path would be a big help to the government’s preparations,” Poe said.
Signed into a law on June 20, 2014 by President Aquino, Republic Act No. 10639 requires telecommunication companies to send alerts at regular intervals in the event of an impending tropical storm, typhoon, tsunami or other calamities.
The alerts, which are free of cost to both the government and subscribers, will be sent to mobile subscribers near and within the affected areas.