THE Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reiterated on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, the importance of preemptive evacuation during calamities to avoid casualties.
In a press conference, OCD Deputy Administrator for Administration Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the number of fatalities during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino in the Visayas and of Super Typhoon Uwan show the effectiveness of the implementation of preemptive activities.
“Sa casualty count, napakalaki ng difference… Kung yun pong data na yon ang lumalabas, ‘yung preemptive evacuation talaga nakakatulong sa pagbawas nung mga possible casualty kahit sa injury or masaktan,” said Alejandro.
(In the casualty count, the difference is huge… If that data is what comes out, preemptive evacuation really helps reduce possible casualties, even in terms of injuries or people getting hurt.)
“Nakita na natin ang difference and how the LGUs (local government units) and the community reacted doon sa ating mga early warning. I think the data will show talaga na nakakatulong talaga if we do preemptive activities,” he added.
(We have already seen the difference and how the LGUs (local government units) and the community reacted to our early warnings. I think the data will really show that preemptive activities are truly helpful.)
Alejandro said around 290,000 families or 898,000 individuals were preemptively evacuated before the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.
Days before Super Typhoon Uwan hit the southern and northern Luzon, 499,000 families or 1.7 million individuals heeded the call of LGUs to preemptively evacuate.
Tino has left over 200 dead individuals, while Uwan claimed 18 lives as of posting.
Alejandro said the number of casualties due to Uwan may still rise, but a significant increase is unlikely. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)