Rainy Christmas weekend ahead – Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines — A rainy Christmas long weekend is forecast due to the northeast monsoon and shear line, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

The shear line is currently affecting the eastern sections of Luzon while the northeast monsoon or amihan is affecting the rest of Luzon.

Both weather systems are forecast to bring significant amounts of rain until Christmas Eve in some parts of the country.

Around 50 to 100 millimeters of rain is forecast over mainland Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora and the northern portion of Luzon today.

PAGASA said that the shear line and the trough of a low-pressure area is bringing scattered rains over Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte and Kalayaan Islands.

Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon is bringing cloudy skies with rains over Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, the rest of Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

Isolated light rains are forecast over the rest of Luzon due to the monsoon.

Easterlies and localized thunderstorms may bring isolated rains over Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao.

PAGASA warned of possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to heavy rains.

It urged the public and disaster risk reduction and management offices to take precautionary measures to protect life and property.

Coding, ferry service suspension

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) suspended the traffic number coding and operations of the Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS) on certain dates during the holiday season.

The expanded number coding scheme will be lifted on Monday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day; on Tuesday, Dec. 26 which was declared a special non-working holiday, and on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.

The agency previously decided to keep the window period of the expanded number coding scheme – enforced from 7 to 10 a.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. on weekdays – believing it could help manage vehicular traffic and spread out car volume along major roads. The decision was made despite the passage of MMDA Regulation 23-003 that supposedly mandated number coding from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

According to estimates, the current average daily car volume of 430,000 along EDSA could increase by up to 15 percent during the Christmas season with more people traveling and using land vehicles whether public transport or private cars.

Meanwhile, the PRFS – which transports commuters along the Pasig River to stations in the cities of Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati and Manila – will be closed on Dec. 25, 26 and 30 or Rizal Day, and on Jan. 1, 2024.

The ferryboats will undergo maintenance while stations are cleaned up during those dates, noted the MMDA.

The PRFS will be open on Dec. 27 to 29, it also said.

PITX

More than 120,000 passengers per day are expected to flock to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) ahead of Christmas, police said.

The volume of foot traffic in the terminal has significantly increased as early as Thursday, Parañaque police chief Col. Reycon Garduque said.

“On Thursday, we recorded over 121,000 people. We expect the same or higher number in the coming days since these are when most people go home,” Garduque told The STAR.

With the number, Garduque said they are anticipating more than 400,000 passengers flocking to the terminal before Christmas.

He added that over 60 police personnel have been deployed in the PITX to augment security and traffic management.

Police desks have also been placed around the terminals to assist passengers.

The Philippine National Police, Department of the Interior and Local Government and the MMDA visited and inspected the terminal on Thursday. — Ghio Ong, Nillicent Bautista