Palace on super typhoon Rosal: ‘Sana mahina lang, magandang pagkakataon para makapag-ipon ng tubig’

MANILA — Malacañang on Wednesday said that it hopes super typhoon Rosal’s impact would not be too severe so that it could be a good opportunity to ease the El Niño’s impact on the Philippines.

“Kung ang lugar ninyo ay magkakaroon ng malakas na pag-ulan, tamang-tama baka mayroon kayong pagkakataon na mag-ipon ng tubig kung kayo ay nakakaranas ngayon ng tagtuyot sa inyong lugar,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Wednesday.

“Magandang pagkakataon ito, at ipagdasal na lang natin na huwag sanang ganoon kalakas; tamang lakas lang para maibsan ang epekto ng El Niño sa tatamaan ng bagyo,” she said.

Government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Health are all prepared for the expected after effects of the super typhoon, Castro said.

Meantime, the Palace said that the national government has yet to finalize a suggested work suspension scheme should temperatures hit 40-degrees Celcius during the onslaught of the El Niño in the coming months. 

“Tingnan po natin ang sitwasyon at ang Pangulo naman po ay pinapaaral ang ganitong klaseng suhestiyon kung nararapat ba para naman sa ikagiginhawa at kaligtasan na rin ng ating mga kababayan na sa ngayon tayo ay nakakanaras ng very strong El Niño,” she said.

State weather bureau PAGASA earlier said that the El Niño is expected to peak in the Philippines before the end of the year, and persist until early 2027.