PH, Saudi joint special hiring program crafted

rience moderate to heavy rain showers with lighting and strong winds owing to Betty’s influence on the southwest monsoon or “habagat.”

These conditions were already being experienced in Zambales, Bataan, and Pampanga provinces last night, the state weather bureau added.

Fishermen in Cagayan no longer went out to sea as a precaution on Friday as the province was expected to raise its red alert last night. Ten towns had been classified as areas of concern by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

In Batanes, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head MarvinPama said the town of Ivana has activated its evacuation center to accommodate evacuees from high-risk communities.

PAGASA weather specialist Ana Clauren said the hoisting of TCWS may begin today in anticipation of severe winds.

Strong to storm-force conditions may be experienced over extreme Northern Luzon, while strong to gale-force conditions are possible in the northern and eastern portions of the mainland of Northern Luzon,she said.

Clauren said Betty may enhance the southwest monsoon that could trigger rains over the western portion of Central and Southern Luzon and the Visayas beginning Sunday or Monday.

She urged the public to coordinate precautionary measures with the local government because the moderate to heavy rains may trigger flash floods or landslides.

Mawar is the strongest storm to enter the country this year, but is weaker than Yolanda, which killed more than 6,000 people in 2013.

While Yolanda packed maximum sustained winds of 235 kilometers perhour,

Mawar is likely to move at a slower pace, with maximum sustained winds of 175 kph, said Jun Galang, PAGASA weather division chief.

Galang warned, however, that Mawar can still be dangerous.

“If a typhoon is fast, its impact on land is stronger. If it’s slower, it will bring more rain. Fast or slow, they’re both dangerous,” he said in Filipino.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said local government units (LGUs)should lead response efforts but assured them that the national government will be ready to assist in areas that will be affected by the super typhoon.

“We have already warned the LGUs to prepare in case of heavy rains and flooding. What we do is we leave it to the LGUs right now to make the call on what they will do,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview with reporters in Manila.

“What we’re saying is the national government is here to assist. We are in constant contact with the local governments, so we’ll see what the situation is in their place,” the President said.

Mr. Marcos said the government has been preparing for the onslaught of super typhoon Mawar, saying it had a different strategy since thetyphoon will also pull the southwest monsoon, which may cause heavy rain even in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“It’s a little different from the usual situation where the typhoon passes and that’s all we worry about,” he said.

“The typhoon is strong. It's pulling weather patterns, entering here in the Philippines. So that’s what we are looking out for,” he added.

President Marcos earlier said he had discussions with Defenseofficer-in-charge Carlito Galvez about positioning funds,

food packs and response teams in areas that will directly be affected by Mawar.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, meanwhile, announced the availability of the P18.3 billion disaster relief fund to support the government’s rescue and relief operations.

The latest data showed that the government still has some P18.3 billion in its calamity fund, including the P1.5 billion carryover from last year’s budget, that can be used for various disaster relief operations until the end of 2023.

From January 2023 to date, calamity fund releases amounted to about P3.9 billion.

“Our government is prepared,” Pangandaman said in a statement.

After the typhoon, if necessary, agencies may tap into the availableNational Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) under the FY 2023 General Appropriations Act upon completion of damage assessment and recommendation by the National Disaster Risk Reductionand Management Council (NDRRMC) and following the approval of the President.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it has alerted all its search, rescue, and retrieval units in anticipation of Mawar’s arrival.

In a statement released on Friday, the AFP said that all unified commands and major services are placed on alert for humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations in areas expected to be hit by Mawar.

A total of 12,000 personnel including reservists are deployed as firstresponders. Additional troops and assets will be committed when necessary. With Macon Ra

mos-Araneta (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

The Philippines and Saudi Arabia are developing a joint special hiring program for skilled Filipino workers, the Department of Migrant Workers said Friday.

DMW Secretary Susan Ople said the possibility of the joint special hiring program was raised due to Saudi Arabia’s push to develop its tourism sector.

“We discussed the possibility of the Philippines and Saudi Arabia having a joint special hiring program for skilled Filipino workers because they are expecting a huge demand, especially for their tourism sector. They are embarking on expansion plans, and they want to attract more tourists to Saudi Arabia,” Ople said at a press conference.

“We said that perhaps if they give us the numbers and the profile ofworkers needed, then we will continue to discuss if there is a needfor the DMW to work closely with TESDA and other institutions and to put together a special hiring program just to meet the demands and requests of Saudi employers for skilled workers as well as the Saudi government,” she added.

Saudi Arabia plans to bring investments to the Philippines as well, Ople also said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)