Different transportation agencies are ready to assist commuters who would be stranded and people who may need to be evacuated due to the possible impact of Tropical Cyclone Fung-wong (to be named Uwan, once it enters the PAR), the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Friday.
DOTr, in a statement on its Facebook page, said that the entire department and its attached agencies like the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), are ready to assist evacuation efforts by providing buses, trucks, and other vehicles.
Fung-wong is still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), but it continues to move west at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour (km/h). It is expected to enter the PAR between Friday night and early Saturday morning.
‘We need to be ready even before the cyclone enters the country. The President has directed us to take care of passengers who will be stranded, to mitigate the effects of the storm, and to quickly respond to certain situations,’ Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said.
PCG is also tasked, DOTr said, to assist local governments in rescue and rehabilitation operations.
The latest forecast track and intensity outlook from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) showed that Fung-wong is packing maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h near the center, and gustiness of up to 125 km/h. However, Pagasa predicts that it may reach peak intensity by Sunday morning, packing maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h.
Fung-wong is currently predicted to reach super typhoon category by the time it makes landfall, possibly over Isabela. However, Pagasa’s cone of probability shows that Uwan may move south and hit the Bicol Region and then Metro Manila, or as north as Cagayan and extreme northern Luzon.
According to DOTr, the PCG, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), and the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) will implement a ‘no sail policy’ for all areas that will be hit by the storm.
Other aviation and maritime agencies like the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Clark International Airport Corporation, PPA, Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) are also directed to assist stranded passengers by giving them food, drink, and medical assistance if needed.
Meanwhile, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) is directed to temporarily suspend toll collection for vehicles involved in emergency and rescue operations that may need to use tollways.
Fung-wong’s threat looms over Luzon, just days after Typhoon Tino battered through Visayas, along with parts of Southern Luzon and Northern Mindanao. As of Friday morning, the death toll due to Tino is at 185, with 135 individuals still missing.