'Caloy' moves away from RP

MANILA, Philippines - Tropical depression “Caloy” (international name Chanthu) intensified into a storm yesterday as it continued to move away from the country, the weather bureau said.

In a severe weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the eye of the storm was spotted 420 kilometers west northwest of Dagupan City, Pangasinan at 4 a.m. yesterday.

It packed maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of 80 kph. It was forecast to move at 11 kph northwest. Caloy is expected to be at 610 km west northwest of Dagupan City or at 580 km west of Laoag City this morning. It is the third tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and the second this month.

The cyclone damaged several roads and bridges and displaced more than 200 families in Aurora province.

In its regular weather bulletin, Pagasa said the entire country would experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers in the next 24 hours because of the prevailing intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ).

Pagasa weather forecaster Bernie de Leon said the rains brought by the ITCZ would still not be enough to raise the water level of the Angat dam, which had been dried up by the El Niño phenomenon.

Last week, Pagasa recommended cloud seeding to increase the water level in the dam, which supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila’s water requirements. Pagasa administrator Prisco Nilo said no weather disturbance is expected to occur in the next five days.

Meanwhile, the death count from typhoon “Basyang” (international name Conson) which ravaged the country last week reached 76 as of yesterday as rescuers pulled more bodies from the sea.The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said 72 people are still missing and feared dead, while 31 were injured. “The search and rescue operations are still going on, as long as there are still people missing,” said Relan Asuncion, section chief of the civil defense office.NDCC executive officer Benito Ramos said search operations are still ongoing in Central Luzon, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon), and Bicol regions.

The new casualties were identified as Juliano Burdeos, Ramil Estabaya, Reynaldo Apita, Albert Palacio, Eddie Boy Pacumbala, Elmer Engay and Samson Baldres, all from Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte; Florencio dela Rosa, 77, of Calamba, Laguna and Wilson Renio, 15, of Candelaria Quezon.

Basyang slammed into the country on July 13, directly hitting Metro Manila as it cut westward into the South China Sea with a ferocity that caught weather forecasters by surprise. The NDCC said Basyang displaced 48,640 families or 241,651 persons in the regions of Central Luzon, CALABARZON, Bicol and Metro Manila. A total of 465 families or 2,365 individuals are still sheltered in 16 evacuation centers.

The storm toppled power lines, causing a widespread blackout in Luzon. The government is still evaluating the extent of property damage caused by the storm. Damage to agriculture, on the other hand, was estimated by the Department of Agriculture to have reached P191 million as of last Monday.      

Ramos said state agencies, local governments, and non-government organizations provided financial assistance of up to P1.66 million.

In Bataan province, two more bodies were recovered from the seawaters off Orion and Pilar towns, bringing the death count in the province to 15 as of yesterday. Bataan police director Senior Superintendent Arnold Gunnacao said one victim was identified as Jerry Soriano, 33.           

The other unidentified body, found floating along the shoreline of Barangay Landing, was clad in black shorts and long-sleeved shirt. The victim is estimated to be between 40 to 50 years old and 5’6” tall.

Authorities are still searching for three fishermen on the fishing vessel F/B Angelika Berna, among the 48 vessels destroyed in the Mariveles cove when Basyang lashed the bay. - With Alexis Romero, Rafael Viray