Photo from PAGASA website
MANILA - The social welfare department on Tuesday said it has started mobilizing food packs at the northern part of the country, the projected path of Typhoon Mawar.
Based on state weather bureau PAGASA's classification, Mawar is now a super typhoon, ABS-CBN resident meteorologist Ariel Rojas said.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said forecast showed the typhoon may affect Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and the Batanes area.
"The path can change, but malaki siya. So, what we have done is we have augmented the stockpiling of food packs up north," Gatchalian said.
"Right now, ang average kasi nila will be at around 30 to 50,000 in those two regions independently of each other. Naka-preposition na iyon, but we are doubling it up," he added.
"The goal here is to double it before the end of business tomorrow. We have already started mobilizing as early as this weekend."
The agency has already prepared its quick response funds, but Gatchalian declined to specify how much would be allotted for the impact of this super typhoon.
Rojas said based on PAGASA's monitoring as of 4 p.m., Mawar has maximum winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts up to 230 kph.
It was headed towards Guam where it may make a landfall on Wednesday morning.
Video from RTVM