Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso assured residents Friday the city remains on heightened alert as severe tropical storm “Opong” moves across the country, with all response units on standby and continuous monitoring underway.

The mayor, in an interview with reporters, confirmed that the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) has opened evacuation centers and is ready to receive voluntary evacuees.

MDSW director Jay dela Fuente said social workers have been deployed to 26 evacuation sites, and hot meals have been pre-positioned at the agency’s district offices.

“As of the moment, there are no occupants in the evacuation centers, but the MDSW, through director Dela Fuente, ordered hot meals yesterday in case we have evacuees,” Domagoso said.

The Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MCDRRMO) and other city agencies are conducting 24/7 monitoring until Saturday, when the storm is expected to intensify.

“But thank God, the way it was presented to us yesterday by science, so far, we are not heavily feeling the effects, although the rain has not stopped,” Domagoso said.

Citing MCDRRMO reports, the mayor said no major thoroughfares are currently flooded, but he assured the public the city is closely monitoring high-risk areas during high tide.

MCDRRMO director Arnel Angeles identified Barangay 598 (Damka, Santa Mesa along the San Juan Riverbanks), Barangay 20 (Isla Puting Bato) and Barangay 275 (Parola) as high-risk areas.

On evacuation protocols, Domagoso said the city would implement involuntary evacuation should it become necessary. To minimize flooding, the mayor has also ordered continuous declogging operations.

“Since 1 July, even with flooding, I still order declogging. At the same time, based on that EO, we instruct the 896 barangays to declog their respective canals every Saturday. We in Manila do it every day,” said Domagoso, adding that significant volumes of sand and asphalt have already been removed from the drainage system.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health-Metro Manila Center for Health Development (DoH-MMCHD) on Friday ramped up its emergency response efforts to safeguard the health and safety of residents as “Opong” brings strong winds and heavy rains.

In coordination with local government units, the DoH-MMCHD assured the public that cities and municipalities across Metro Manila are prepared to implement emergency measures.

Key interventions include establishing tents as evacuation sites, distributing essential medicines to health centers, and deploying medical teams for quick response.

The initiative follows President R. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to guarantee access to immediate health services for all communities during calamities.