Philippines braces for Super Typhoon Fung-Wong after Kalmaegi

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos has declared a one-year state of national calamity to speed up rescue, relief, and recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi.

Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1077 on November 5, which was made public on Saturday, allowing the national and local governments to tap appropriate funds for emergency and rehabilitation programs and to provide basic services to displaced residents.

The state of calamity will remain in effect for one year, "unless earlier lifted by the president," said the proclamation.

It also authorizes the immediate enforcement of measures such as imposing price ceilings on basic goods and prime commodities, granting no-interest loans to hard-hit sectors, and preventing overpricing, profiteering, and hoarding of essential goods, medicines, and fuel.

Government agencies were also ordered to carry out post-disaster recovery measures to restore normalcy and improve living conditions in affected areas. Law enforcement units, backed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, were directed to maintain peace and order in affected areas.

Kalmaegi, the 20th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, swept across large parts of central and southern Philippines, triggering floods and landslides that killed 224 people, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Sunday.

More than 100 people remain missing, while 526 others were injured, the OCD reported.

As recovery efforts continue, the Philippines has been bracing for incoming super typhoon, Fung-wong, which has been rapidly intensifying and is expected to make landfall on Sunday night or Monday morning, according to the state weather bureau.

The bureau warned that the Category 5 storm, the strongest on the scale, could bring destructive winds, torrential rain, flooding, and landslides, and may disrupt power and essential services.

As of Sunday morning, Fung-wong was located 125 kilometers east of Catanduanes in the Bicol region, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 km per hour and gusts of up to 230 km per hour. It was moving west-northwest at 30 km per hour.

Fung-Wong is the 21st tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, surpassing the country's annual average of 20 storms.