Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that there were any lapses on the part of the government regarding the response to typhoon Ulysses, according to media reports.

In an interview with local reporters and journalists, Roque said the government was prepared for the typhoon but did not expect the volume of the water to be too much to handle.

“Maraming pong factor diyan. We anticipated, but as the governor himself said, they did not actually expect this much water discharge into Cagayan Valley,” Roque said.

The spokesperson added that climate change, deforestation, illegal mining, and the silted Cagayan River contributed to the flooding in the region.

“We will strive to do better, pero sa tingin ko po wala namang pagkukulang,” he added.

The Palace is currently drafting an executive order to create a task force that will streamline disaster recovery efforts.