Manila, Feb. 6 -- All military units in areas that might be affected by Tropical Storm Basyang (international name Penha) are on heightened alert for possible relief and rescue missions, the spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Friday.

"The AFP has already placed its units - particularly those in areas affected or potentially affected by Tropical Storm Basyang - on heightened alert for possible humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations," Col. Francel Margareth Padilla told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) when asked whether military units in the path of the tropical storm were already alerted for possible emergencies.

Basyang is now affecting a large part of the country, with portions ...