'Mina' spotted off Catanduanes - PAGASA

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) yesterday said a low-pressure area spotted east of Visayas over the weekend has developed into a tropical depression and will be named “Mina.”

Weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said the tropical depression has been sighted in Catanduanes but is not expected to make landfall.

“As of now, we do not see that it would become a tropical storm but there is a chance that it would intensify since it is still on water and it could gather strength. It is expected to leave the Philippine (area of responsibility) by Thursday,” said Aurelio.

The weather disturbance is moving northeast and would continue to move away from the country and make landfall in the southern part of Japan.

In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Mina was 390 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes with maximum winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center. It is forecast to move northeast at 11 kph.

Southern Luzon and Visayas is expected to experience cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rainswhowers and thunderstorms that may trigger flashfloods and landslides.

Central Luzon and Mindanao will have mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms while northern Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) advised residents in Southern Luzon to brace for possible impact of TD Mina.

In an advisory, the NDRRMC and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) head Benito Ramos said that aside from Southern Luzon, Mina is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon and will bring rains over several areas in the Visayas.

According to Ramos, OCD regional centers were ordered to undertake precautionary measures in their areas of responsibility and advised local disaster officials to initiate pre-emptive evacuation of families living in disaster-prone areas.

“When necessary, initiate pre-emptive evacuations of residents in low-lying and mountainous communities,” he said.

Meanwhile, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda directed the Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council to closely monitor the tropical depression, which is threatening 100 landslide-prone barangays in the province.

Salceda said several villages in Albay are at risk to landslide after the state weather bureau said that Mina could trigger heavy rains.

The governor also denied reports that the geo-hazard maps of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) were not accurate in identifying areas susceptible to flooding and landslides during the onslaught of typhoon “Juaning” recently.

The MGB of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources under Regional Technical Director Reynulfo Juan told The STAR that the geo-hazard maps prepared by MGB were accurate enough to determine the risky areas. – With Jaime Laude, Celso Amo