REMULLA TO LGUs: STAY ON ALERT AS HEAVY RAINS MAY LAST UNTIL MONDAY
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla urged all local government units (LGUs) to stay on high alert as inclement weather brought by the enhanced Southwest Monsoon, Tropical Depression ‘Dante,’ and a low-pressure area is expected to persist until early next week.
“Hanggang Lunes pa po masama ang panahon. May paparating pa tayong bagyo,” said Remulla in an interview on Wednesday.
He assured that LGUs have already been reminded of their responsibilities, particularly in preemptive evacuation and risk communication in hazard-prone areas. The Department is closely monitoring the situation in western provinces—particularly from Negros Island to Ilocos Sur.
The DILG Chief said the Office of Civil Defense, as the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, remains in close coordination with LGUs. He added that the Emergency 911 hotline is fully operational and ready to respond to urgent concerns from affected areas.
Amid criticisms of his informal tone in social media announcements, Remulla clarified that his intent was never to downplay the risks or the hard work of emergency responders.
“Hindi ko po minamaliit ang pinaghihirapan ng mga frontliners natin. Ang ginagawa ko lang ay gawing mas magaan ang paraan ng pagpapaalala—hindi puro pangamba. Kung may hindi nakaintindi, humihingi ako ng pasensya. Pero wala po akong masamang intensyon,” Remulla said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. expressed support for the Secretary’s communication approach, saying it helps cut through noise and misinformation on social media.
“Criticize me, criticize him for the way we speak. But that’s the way he speaks. As long as he gets the message across. That’s what it’s for,” the President said.