Metro Manila residents enjoy 18ºC

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Metro Manila experienced yesterday the coldest temperature recorded so far this year in the metropolis at 18.1 degrees Celsius.

Pagasa senior weather forecaster Robert Sawi said yesterday’s temperature recorded at the Science Garden in Quezon City surpassed the 18.2 degrees Celsius experienced last Jan. 4.

He said the coldest temperature in Metro Manila in 2008 was 18 degrees, registered on Dec. 20.

The temperature in Baguio City was recorded at 8.4 degrees Celsius, which is warmer than the 7.5 degrees Celsius last Thursday.

Sawi said Baguio has already surpassed the coldest temperature recorded last year at 11.6 degrees Celsius.

In Tagaytay City, the temperature went up slightly to 15.8 degrees Celsius yesterday from 15.6 degrees Celsius last Thursday.

Pagasa records showed that the lowest temperature recorded in Baguio City was at 6.3 degrees Celsius on Jan. 18, 1961.

On the other hand, the coldest temperature in Metro Manila was felt in 1987 at 15.1 degrees Celsius, Pagasa said.

Sawi said the “active” northeast monsoon would continue to bring cool weather to the country until February.

He said Pagasa still expects colder weather in the coming days as the northeast monsoon season peaks.

The tail-end of a cold front would continue to bring light to moderate rains over Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao this weekend, he added.

Good weather would prevail over Luzon, including Metro Manila, aside from passing light rains. No tropical cyclone is expected to affect the country in the coming days.

Two persons die of cold

Two more persons in Cagayan Valley died last Thursday and brought to three the fatalities of the cold weather in Luzon.

The latest victims were identified as 78-year-old William de la Cruz of Barangay Santo Tomas, Saguday town, Quirino, and Leandro Balabares of Calamagui, Ilagan, Isabela.

De la Cruz died on the way to a district hospital in neighboring Isabela after the victim had an asthma attack, which was aggravated by the cold weather.

Balabares’ death was also attributed to the extreme cold weather.

The first victim of the cold spell was Felipe Catulin, 72, of Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, who suffered hypertension due to the cold weather last week.

“Chances are the cold weather triggered his hypertension, (leading) to complications,” Dr. James Guzman, city health officer, said.

Guzman said cases of asthma and other upper respiratory infections have become more prevalent during the cold weather, which, the government’s weather bureau said, will most possibly last until next month. — With Charlie Lagasca