The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) attributed the delay in the arrival of text messages warning the public about strong and heavy rains to network congestion.

“We have received information from our countrymen regarding the delayed text warnings. This is not across the board, meaning the majority of our countrymen received warnings after it was disseminated by the telcos,” NDRRMC deputy spokesperson Mark Cashean Timbal said partly in Filipino in a message to reporters on Thursday night.

Timbal added the delay was caused by network congestion which resulted from the simultaneous dissemination of text message alerts to many subscribers.

“It appears that a network congestion happens as a consequence of the sending of messages to so many subscribers all at the same time,” he added.

Timbal said this limitation is still being resolved by the government’s telco partners.

“Rest assured that the NDRRMC and OCD will continue to coordinate with our telco partners regarding this matter,” he added.

Timbal said aside from text warnings, the NDRRMC also sends weather and other warnings via social media, its partners in the various mass media, other messaging platforms, and even directly to the concerned local government units and DRRM officers.