MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will lead a command conference on Thursday afternoon for the forthcoming onslaught of typhoon Ompong (international name Mangkhut).
The president has adjusted his schedule to meet with weather, disaster and other government officials at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) operations center at 3 p.m.
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"This afternoon, the president will hold a command conference in the NDRRMC to make sure that our state of readiness for Ompong will be at its highest level," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing.
Roque added that the NDRRMC is on red alert and has activated its response cluster.
Duterte was supposed to oversee the test firing of the Spike Extended Range missiles from the Philippine Navy's BRP Davao del Sur in Bataan. The event was cancelled due to bad weather.
Ompong, which may develop into a super typhoon, is expected to make landfall in northern Cagayan on Saturday morning.
At 10 a.m., the typhoon was located 725 east of Virac, Catanduanes with winds of up to 205 kph and gusts of up to 255 kph. It is forecasted to move west at 20 kph.
Ompong is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Sunday morning. — Patricia Lourdes Viray