TO ensure their presence during preparations for and response operations due to Typhoon Uwan, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has barred local government officials from making foreign trips from November 9 to 15.
In a statement, DILG said Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that local chief executives — from governors, mayors, to barangay captains and other local officials must lead from the ground. “With Typhoon Uwan now within the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the [DILG] has ordered all elective and appointive local officials to cancel and suspend foreign travel from November 9 to 15, 2025, to ensure their presence in their respective areas during ongoing pre-disaster preparations, response, and recovery operations,” DILG said.
“DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla emphasized that governors, mayors, barangay captains, and other local officials must lead on the ground in accordance with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the declaration of a state of national calamity,” it added.
According to the department, the Local Government Code of 1991 and Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 state that local chief executives must be the chairperson of their respective local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (DRRMC) — which means they must be “physically present during all phases of disaster management” whether it be “preparation, response, and recovery.”
“LGUs are also urged to assist affected communities, reactivate Local Price Coordinating Councils to prevent overpricing, and coordinate with Regional and Provincial DRRMCs and DILG Regional Offices for timely and unified action,” DILG said. “All DILG Regional Directors have been instructed to ensure full compliance nationwide. Secretary Remulla stressed that visible, hands-on leadership from both elective and appointive officials is crucial in safeguarding communities and ensuring swift recovery,” it added.
Earlier, DILG asked over 17,000 barangays identified as moderate to high-risk areas for flooding and landslides to take precautionary measure as Uwan’s threat looms. DILG said that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) has already listed which barangays are considered as moderately to highly susceptible to floods and rain-induced landslides from November 8 to 11.
Latest updates from the the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) showed that Uwan (international name: Fung-wong) intensified again, as it moved closer to Catanduanes province. A bulletin posted by Pagasa stated that Uwan now has maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 215 kph.
