Manila, Sept. 21 -- With Super Typhoon Ragasa intensifying ahead of its expected landfall in the northern Philippines on September 23, the country's President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Sunday directed national agencies to assist local governments preparing for torrential rains, landslides, and life-threatening storm surges, local media reported.

Ragasa, which is being called Super Typhoon Nando in the Philippines, is expected to make landfall in the Batanes or Babuyan Islands by the afternoon of September 23, the Philippine weather agency said.

Marcos instructed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and its 44 member agencies to remain on full alert until Nando exits the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the...