REMAIN VIGILANT AGAINST EXTREME WEATHER--LOREN

After tsunami warning levels in the country dropped Monday, Nacionalista Vice-Presidential candidate Loren Legarda today reminded Filipinos to remain alert and ready to respond should "the weather bring anything untoward."

Loren spoke to an airport crowd who greeted her before departing for her Mindanao campaign tour. The NPC-NP-LDP candidate said in Filipino, "It is good news that the country has been relieved of the warning, but we can never be complacent. With the onset of climate change, more disastrous weather events should be expected. We will need all our strength to recover if we get hit by natural calamities, so we may as well be ready as early as now."

Earlier on 28 February local seismologists raised the tsunami alert level 2 in the country and advised the public to stay away from coastal areas. Following the 27 February 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile that triggered tsunamis in New Zealand, Hawaii and Japan, tsunami wave models of the Pacific Ocean show that the Philippines' eastern coasts would be likely to experience a series of meters-high waves.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in the US had so far dropped the warning for earthquake in the Philippines, but retained its warning on Japan and Russia.

"The country has now been declared as off-hook of the looming tsunami threat, but we still have to be careful, especially those living in coastal towns. It's an era of changing climate patters, so don't lose vigilance. Let's look after our neighbors in coastal areas. Let's be ready to evacuate if need be. Let's prepare supplies in case of emergency. Above all, let's be ready to give aid to those who will need help," Loren urged.

Chile's most recent earthquake affected more than 500,000 homes across the region killing over 708 people; and over 90 aftershocks have been recorded, ranging from 4.9 to 6.9 in magnitude.