President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured the government is prepared to handle the potential impact of super typhoon "Leon," which is moving closer to Batanes.

Marcos convened all concerned government agencies and tasked them to immediately provide assistance to typhoon victims.

In response to Marcos’ order, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. led a situation briefing with members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Wednesday.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said all of its units and assets are ready for deployment to help in the rescue and relief operations.

“We will mobilize all necessary resources for typhoon "Leon" as we continue our recovery efforts from typhoon "Kristine." Our AFP remains vigilant and prepared for the upcoming challenges,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said.

Meantime, the Philippine Coast Guard began monitoring the seaports in affected areas while the Department of Social Welfare and Development has prepositioned family food packs and all forms of assistance in areas where "Leon" is expected to hit.

Based on the latest bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), "Leon" continues to move closer to Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gusts of up to 230 km/h.

Signal No. 4 has been hoisted in Batanes, which means that “the situation is potentially very destructive to the community.”

Signal No. 3 has been raised in the eastern portion of Babuyan Islands and the northeastern portion of mainland Cagayan.

PAGASA raised Signal No. 2 in the rest of Babuyan Islands, the rest of mainland Cagayan, the northern and eastern portions of Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga, the northern and eastern portions of Abra, the eastern portion of Mountain Province (Paracelis), and Ilocos Norte.