From government agencies to private firms, all hands are on deck to ensure immediate response to power outages and signal interruptions that may result from tropical depression "Paeng."

The Department of Energy said Thursday that it has put in place necessary measures to mitigate the possible impact of the typhoon, including the issuance of advisories on appropriate precautionary measures.

The DoE likewise mandated all operators to ensure that all power plants are operating normally to avoid power interruptions. Meanwhile, it said transmission operators should have ancillary reserves ready in case of any unplanned outages of power plants.

Meanwhile, PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. started preparing mission-critical manpower and equipment as "Paeng" traverses the eastern part of Luzon as it continues to monitor the route of the tropical depressions.

In other developments, the provincial government of Negros Occidental reported on Thursday that classes have been suspended here and in other local government units in the province as the trough of now tropical storm "Paeng" brought heavy rains and floods in the province since Wednesday.

Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Benitez said that he has suspended classes on Thursday due to heavy rains and flooding as rescue operations and evacuation support were launched for residents of flooded areas on Wednesday night.

The other LGUs which also suspended classes in all levels include the neighboring cities of Bago, Talisay, Silay, and the municipality of Murcia.

Over at the northern portion of the province, classes were also canceled in the cities of Victorias and San Carlos as well as in the towns of E.B. Magalona, Toboso, Calatrava and Don Salvador Benedicto.

In the southern part and central Negros, suspension of classes was also declared in the municipalities of Valladolid, Pontevedra, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Hinoba-an and the cities of La Carlota and Sipalay.

San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo said he ordered the suspension of classes "brought by the presence of evacuees in schools nearby the flood-stricken areas."

Reports from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office disclosed that as of Wednesday morning, a total of 719 individuals, from 144 families, in four localities in Negros Occidental have been affected by floods.