Storm Tisoy looms over opening of Games

MANILA, Philippines — A tropical storm with international name Kammuri is expected to bring rains in some parts of the country next week as it hosts the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG).

On Saturday, the opening of SEAG, and on Sunday, the whole country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains due to the northeast monsoon, according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather specialist Benison Estareja.

Kammuri, which will be locally named Tisoy, is forecast to enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday or Sunday.

Estareja said Kammuri is likely to intensify into a typhoon before entering the country.

As of 3 p.m. yesterday, the storm was spotted at 1,645 kilometers east of the Visayas with maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kph.

It was moving west at 20 kph.

Estareja said PAGASA is looking at two scenarios for Kammuri.

The first scenario is that it will affect Central and Southern Luzon, including Metro Manila, bringing moderate to occasionally heavy rains with gusty winds on Dec. 2-4.

The other scenario is that the storm will hit Northern Luzon and parts of Central Luzon, the areas recently battered by tropical cyclones Ramon and Sarah.

PAGASA said cyclones that batter the Philippines are usually much stronger in the last quarter of the year.

Joint task force

The Office of Civil (OCD), having been designated under the Functional Area for Games Safety and Security for the SEAG, has created a Joint Task Group Emergency Preparedness and Response (JTGEPR) to oversee and address possible emergency situations that may arise during the entire event.

The OCD, now the lead agency of the JTGEPR for the SEAG, is closely monitoring Kammuri over the Pacific Ocean as it is likely to enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Nov. 30, the day of the SEAG’s official opening ceremony at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

On Dec. 1, the weather system is expected to head toward the Philippine landmass.

“Moderate to strong northeasterly winds will prevail over Luzon and the coastal waters will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate northeasterly and easterly with slight to moderate seas,” OCD administrator Ricardo Jalad said in his report.

Jalad added that weather systems affecting the entire archipelago, for now, are the northeast monsoon and southward migration of the tail-end of a cold front.

“These weather systems will bring cloudy skies with light rains over the eastern section of Northern and Central Luzon (Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora), Southern Luzon and the Visayas throughout the outlook period. Light rains to widespread rainshowers and thunderstorms will be expected over Mindanao from Nov. 27 until Nov. 29. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with passing light rains,” he said.

The OCD yesterday reported that a member of the Myanmar football team was injured in an accidental head-butt during a practice game at Imus City grandstand in Imus, Cavite.

The injured athlete was immediately taken to the hospital for medical assistance, according to Jalad.

“We have maintained our blue alert status to monitor incidents related to the 30th SEAG, and to ensure the timely dissemination of weather advisories and forecasts to concerned disaster councils, member agencies and local disaster management councils,” he said.

Jalad added that that OCD in Central Luzon has conducted coordination meeting regarding evacuation plans in case of an emergency.

‘SEAG disaster-ready’

Admitting that contingency planning is key in disaster preparedness, the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) said it has detailed all its plans that would help ensure the country’s successful – if unhampered – staging of the 30th SEAGs.

Speaking before media at the World Trade Center yesterday, PHISGOC chief executive officer Tats Suzara said each sport has a contingency plan in all competitions, especially outdoors.

“When there’s a storm, the competition manager, venue manager and the technical delegate will decide on the issue,” Suzara added.

The technical delegate is the highest technical competition manager who will decide if the format will have to be changed, according to Suzara.

“If the typhoon is high-level, some sports would continue with their respective games, but no spectators,” he said.

“All decisions will be decided by the Main Operations Center (MOC), which is composed of all PHISGOC departments, including the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine National Police,” he added. “PAGASA, which is also part of the MOC, is 24 hours ready, informing us of waves, tides, thunderstorms at all venues, so we are all updated.”

The region’s centerpiece sporting show will be unveiled in elaborate rites on Saturday with Suzara hopeful of full participation from all 11 competing nations at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, the first time that the opening ceremonies of the biennial event will be held indoors with the cauldron to be lit by boxing legend Sen. Manny Pacquiao in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, located some 90 kilometers away.

Fifty-six sports are spread over 23 sites divided into four cluster venues, including Clark (six), Metro Manila (eight), Subic (two) and southern areas (seven). – With Jaime Laude, Dante Navarro