'Butchoy' enters Philippines

 MANILA, Philippines - Weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said tropical storm "Butchoy" (international name Guchol) entered the Philippines on Thursday morning.

"At 10:00 a.m. today, the center of tropical storm 'Butchoy' was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 880 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar," PAGASA said in its latest bulletin.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 100 kph, Butchoy entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at past 9 a.m.

PAGASA said that the storm will move closer to Luzon by Friday morning or 560 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes. The storm was expected to leave the PAR by Tuesday morning.

The weather bureau said that rains that will be experienced from Thursday night to Friday will be caused by the enhanced southwest monsoon.

"Estimated rainfall amount is from 15 -25 mm per hour (heavy) with the 300 km diameter of the tropical storm. Fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the seaboards of Luzon, Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao due to big waves generated by the effect of the Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Storm 'Butchoy'," PAGASA said in its advisory.

Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said the storm will most likely hit Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao City, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Siargao, and Dinagat islands.

The NDRRMC had recorded eight fatalities while 63 more are missing even before Butchoy entered the country. Five of the fatalities were passengers of a passenger vessel that sank in waters off El Nido, Palawan on Wednesday morning.

Heavy rains early this week also caused flashfloods in five provinces in Mindanao, leaving three people dead. - Cheryl M. Arcibal