More rains; weather to improve tomorrow

MANILA, Philippines -  The southwest monsoon enhanced by Typhoon Gorio (international name Nesat) will continue to bring intermittent rains over Metro Manila and other areas in the western section of Luzon and the Visayas today, but the weather in the entire country will start to improve beginning tomorrow.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised tropical cyclone warning signal No. 2 over Batanes yesterday afternoon as Gorio intensified into a typhoon from a severe tropical storm as it moved toward Taiwan.

Signal No. 1, meanwhile, was hoisted over the Babuyan Group of Islands.

PAGASA weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said Batanes and Babuyan islands will experience inclement weather until today. 

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the center of Gorio was spotted at 300 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 145 kph.

If it maintains its northwest track at 15 kph, Gorio is expected to be out of the Philippine area of responsibility by tomorrow afternoon.

“We still expect intermittent rains over Luzon, including Metro Manila, on Saturday due to the enhanced southwest monsoon,” Aurelio said.

He warned residents of Metro Manila, Ilocos region, Mimaropa, Calabarzon against possible flashfloods and landslides due to monsoon rains.

He also cautioned operators of small sea vessels against “rough to very rough” seas in the seaboard of Northern Luzon and western seaboard of Central Luzon.

Meanwhile, a new tropical depression spotted over the West Philippine Sea was also enhancing the southwest monsoon.

Boys play along the shoreline in Navotas at the height of heavy rains brought by Typhoon Gorio yesterday. ERNIE PEÑAREDOND

The tropical depression was located at 600 km west of Calayan, Cagayan, outside the Philippine area of responsibility, as of 4 p.m. yesterday.

Aurelio said the tropical depression was not expected to enter the Philippines. 

He said they do not forecast an interaction or a “Fujiwara effect” between the two cyclones. 

He said Gorio is likely to remain stronger than the tropical depression and eventually absorb it. 

Gorio is expected to gain ore strength as it moves closer to Taiwan but is likely to weaken as it approaches mainland China. 

Generally fair weather is expected in most parts of the country beginning tomorrow, Aurelio said. 

“Next week we can still experience monsoon rains but these would not be as intense as this week. We also expect the prevalence of the ridge of high pressure area,” he said. 

A ridge of high-pressure area is associated with good weather.

Meanwhile, PAGASA hydrologists Richard Orendain said all major dams in the country remained below critical level despite the heavy rains dumped by Gorio and the southwest monsoon in the past days. 

“So far no dams have opened their floodgates,” he said in an interview. Opening of the dams’ floodgates can also lead to flooding.

However, he said Magat Dam in Isabela was just 6.85 meters below its spilling level of 190 meters.

“Magat dam only needs 37 millimeters of rain to reach its spilling level,” Orendain said.

Displacements, suspension of classes

The Department of Social Welfare and Development said as of Thursday night, 183 families or 664 persons were displaced in eight barangays in Malabon and Valenzuela but they opted to stay with their relatives and friends.

The DSWD said the local government units provided hot meals to the affected families and had not requested any assistance from the department.

Classes in Metro Manila and other provinces were suspended again yesterday due to intermittent rains that caused floods in several areas.

Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said the construction of a 300-meter diversion creek in two barangays has allowed the free flow of rainwater to Manila Bay and lessened flooding in the area.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said the local disaster risk reduction and management office is on full alert due to Gorio.

In Pampanga, at least 20 barangays in the towns of Apalit, Masantol, Guagua and San Fernando were submerged in floodwaters.

Twelve villages were flooded in Marilao and Meycauayan, Bulacan, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

The RDRRMC said 62 cities and municipalities in Central Luzon suspended classes due to heavy rains brought about by Gorio.

In Baguio City, residents vented their ire on social media over the non-suspension of classes for high school students when heavy rains affected not only those in pre-school and elementary levels.

The Department of Public Works and Highways said although Kennon Road remains open to motorists, travelers are advised to take Marcos Highway instead because of the perennial rock and boulder slides along Kennon Road during continuous rains.

The Department of Health warned the public against the possible spread of leptospirosis because of the floods.

In an advisory, the DOH said people must avoid wading and swimming in floodwaters to avoid contracting the disease spread through direct contact with the urine of infected animals.

The EcoWaste Coalition said floodwaters would not recede immediately as drainages and creeks are clogged with trash.

Daniel Alejandre, Zero Waste campaigner of the coalition, said “waste and sanitation workers often have to use excavating equipment to remove truckloads of trash from our clogged waterways.”

Alejandre cited data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority showing that some 757 truckloads of trash and silt, or about 5,250 cubic meters, were removed from various waterways from March 1 to May 17 as part of the agency’s yearly Estero Blitz program.?The coalition appealed to the public to break the filthy habit of throwing garbage in the streets and waterways and to segregate their discards to facilitate the reusing, recycling and composting of waste materials in line with Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.             

The group likewise urged local authorities, particularly city and municipal mayors and barangay captains, to actively implement RA 9003 within their areas of jurisdiction and to use the full force of the law to ensure compliance.  –  With Artemio Dumlao, Ric Sapnu, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Sheila Crisostomo, Rhodina Villanueva, Rainier Allan Ronda, Perseus Echeminada, Jose Rodel Clapano