Florita exits Philippines but strengthens monsoon

MANILA, Philippines — Free of Severe Tropical Storm Florita, which exited the Philippine area of responsibility yesterday, the country will have better weather in the next three days except for monsoon rains over parts of Luzon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the southwest monsoon is expected to bring moderate to at times heavy rains over Ilocos region, Occidental Mindoro, Zambales, Bataan and Northern Palawan.

PAGASA said scattered flooding and rain-induced landslides are likely, especially in high-risk areas.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila and the rest of the country will see partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers due to the monsoon and localized thunderstorms.

Temperatures in Metro Manila will range between 24 to 31 degrees Celsius.

Florita (international name Ma-on) was last monitored at 585 kilometers west of Calayan, Cagayan, outside of the Philippine area of responsibility at 3 p.m. yesterday.

Under the influence of Florita and the prevailing monsoon, a gale warning is still hoisted over the seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon.

1,344 families affected

Florita’s torrential rains that caused flooding and landslides affected a total of 1,344 families or 4,646 individuals in 60 barangays throughout northern and central Luzon provinces, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) tally.

The weather disturbance sent 311 families or at least 956 persons fleeing for temporary shelter at 19 evacuation centers, with the most areas being Regions 1 (Ilocos), 2 (Cagayan Valley) and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

The NDRRMC said it received reports of at least five rain-induced landslide incidents, six floodings, reports of fallen trees and other weather-related incidents.

Thirteen cities and municipalities experienced power outages or interruptions, with electricity yet to be restored as of yesterday.

The NDRRMC said P915,176 worth of assistance has been given to affected families which include food packs, hygiene kits, tents and other items.

Casualties?

On possible casualties, NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal said there was initial information coming from Isabela and Cagayan that still need to be verified before being included in the official report.

“Incident validation requires an official report of the local government unit (LGU) and relevant attending authorities that will confirm the incident’s details,” Timbal explained.

He said this process requires the identification of the victims and determination of the cause of injury or death backed by certificates from hospitals or attending physicians, since the victims or their families are entitled to certain assistance from government.

In Kalinga, a farmer was reportedly pinned to death by a falling tree at the height of typhoon Florita’s onslaught.

Local police said Francis Bitanga, 56, of Sitio Pisot, Barangay Wagod, Pinukpuk was found dead under the weight of a toppled Ilang-Ilang tree at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the edge of the creek in Sitio Pon-ad Ananaw in the same barangay.

Agri damage

Storm damage on farms was initially pegged at P3.01 million by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista, DA spokesperson, told yesterday’s press briefing that the biggest impact of the typhoon was on ricelands and some high-value crops in Ilocos Norte.

Evangelista reported damage and production losses at 220 metric tons (MT) across 628 hectares of agricultural areas in Ilocos Norte, affecting 310 farmers.

In particular, 626 hectares of ricelands were damaged, translating to a volume loss of 217 MT valued a P2.93 million. Also, two hectares of high-value crops were damaged resulting in volume losses of three MT, worth about P81,000.

Evangelista said the DA is continuously monitoring the situation and additional damage and losses are expected in areas hit by Florita.

The DA is looking at remedial measures like mobilizing Kadiwa stores in Ilocos Norte to help affected residents.

It has also prepared various assistance programs for distribution to affected farmers and fisherfolk such as rice, corn and assorted vegetable seeds, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry, fingerlings and other support from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

It has also made available access to the Survival and Recovery Program of Agricultural Credit Policy Council and Quick Response Fund for the rehabilitation of affected areas.

Reservists activated

Meanwhile, Philippine Army reservists in Cagayan Valley are now repacking and hauling hundreds of bags of relief goods for distribution to typhoon victims.

Col. Xerxes Trinidad, army spokesman, said the reservists have joined the humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts at the Department of Social Welfare and Development warehouse in Ugac Sur, Tuguegarao City.

Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. lauded reservists for their selfless dedication to serve calamity-stricken families.

Flight cancellations

Yesterday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) issued two Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) – C0799 and C0798 – regarding the temporary closure of the Tuguegarao City airport from 10:36 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the checking of the Flight Service Station (FSS), respectively.

Eric Apolonio, CAAP spokesman, explained that the Tuguegarao airport had to be temporarily shut due to leaking in the roof of the terminal damaged by Florita.

On the other hand, the FSS, an air traffic facility that provides services and information to aircraft pilots, had to undergo checking. An FSS should not be confused with Air Traffic Control, said Apolonio.

The Media Affairs Division of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said eight domestic flights were cancelled due to the typhoon as of 12:30 p.m. yesterday.

These were PAL Express 2P 2932/2933 Manila-Basco-Manila, Cebgo DG flights 6031/6032 Manila-San Jose-Manila, Cebu Pacific flights 5J 504/505 and 5J 506/507 Manila-Tuguegarao-Manila.

Rebuilding

In another development, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian vowed to work for measures that would ensure sufficient funds for the construction of classrooms and school buildings, especially in areas hit by recent typhoons and the strong earthquake in the north.

“We will make sure that sufficient funds will be provided for the construction of classrooms. A lot of funds will be needed, especially for schools that were hit by the previous strong earthquake and Typhoon Odette that hit in December of last year,” Gatchalian said.

The chairman of the Senate committee on basic education said the Department of Education eyes a budget of P86.5 billion to construct classrooms in 2023.

PRC aid

For its part, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said it would be distributing P173 million in financial and emergency shelter assistance for victims of previous typhoons Agaton and Odette.

PRC chairman Richard Gordon said starting this week, the Red Cross would be distributing the assistance to families in Southern Leyte, Leyte, Palawan, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Bohol, Dinagat Islands, Siargao and Surigao del Norte.

The funding, he said, was possible through the help of international counterparts of the organization.

Yesterday, the PRC distributed P5,000 cash, corrugated galvanized iron sheets and shelter tool kits to 400 families in San Francisco and Pintuyan towns in Southern Leyte.

So far, PRC’s humanitarian aid has reached over 6,000 Odette-affected families in Southern Leyte in the form of cash and emergency shelter assistance totaling P40.78 million. – Michael Punongbayan, Artemio Dumlao, Danessa Rivera, Rudy Santos, Neil Jayson Servallos, Cecille Suerte Felipe