LPA off Masbate, southwest monsoon to bring rains

MANILA, Philippines — A low-pressure area off Masbate and the southwest monsoon will continue to bring rains over most parts of the country, the state weather bureau said yesterday.

The weather disturbances will bring cloudy skies and scattered rainshowers over Metro Manila as well as in Bicol region, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Central Luzon, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Mindanao and the Visayas, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

PAGASA warned residents to watch out for flash floods and landslides.

Luzon will have partly cloudy skies with isolated light rain showers due to the northeasterly wind, PAGASA said.

The low-pressure area was moving northward at 15 kilometer per hour.

It is expected to either dissipate or develop into a storm once it passes over the West Philippine Sea today or tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista said that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has enough disaster standby funds as it prepares for the approach of severe tropical storm Chan-Hom (Falcon).

In a virtual presser yesterday afternoon, Bautista said they were ready to provide assistance relief supplies to affected local government units, especially those along the wake of the weather disturbance such as the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley and the Cordilleras.

Bautista said the DSWD has a total P545 million standby funds. He said the agency has 230,475 foodpacks ready, as well as P220.1 million worth of relief items and P380.8 million worth of non-food items. - Rainier Allan Ronda