Erratic 'Maring' may stay in Philippines until Thursday

MANILA, Philippines - Tropical storm "Maring" (international name "Trami") has been shifting its track and is expected to linger within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) until Thursday, the state weather bureau said Monday.

PAGASA forecaster Manny Mendoza said that Maring will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon, which has dumped torrential rains over Luzon in the past days.

"Medyo mabagal ito, pabagu-bago ang direksyon ng bagyong ito. Dati southeast, tapos east, ngayon north-northeast," Mendoza said in a radio interview.

Mendoza explained that the tropical storm did not only maintain its strength, but has more or less "remained almost stationary" as of Monday afternoon.

PAGASA said in a bulletin issued at 4:00 pm, Maring was spotted 580 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour near its center.

While Maring was forecast to move eastwards, it may yet change its course and stay within PAR until Friday, Mendoza said.

No public storm warning signals have been issued so far.

Metro Manila, Ilocos region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Panay Island, Benguet Province and Occidental Mindoro will still experience monsoon rains on Tuesday which may further trigger flashfloods, the bureau added.

Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and the rest of Luzon and Visayas, meanwhile, will have light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms.

Mindanao is spared of heavy rains and is expected to only have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms on Tuesday, PAGASA said in the bulletin.

"Fishermen, specially those using small seacraft, are advised not to venture out over the seaboards of Luzon due to possible big waves generated by the enhanced southwest monsoon," it said.