Over 800,000 displaced
MANILA, Philippines — Nearly a million people were displaced, flights were canceled and classes remain suspended in many areas today as Super Typhoon Pepito barreled across Luzon, making two landfalls and causing extensive damage in its wake.
Pepito (international name Man-Yi) first made landfall at 9:40 p.m. last Saturday in Panganiban, Catanduanes, while the second landfall occurred at 3:20 p.m. yesterday in Dipaculao, Aurora, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
PAGASA weather specialist Veronica Torres reported that as of 5 p.m. yesterday, Pepito’s eye was located in the municipality of Nagtipunan in Quirino province, with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 305 kph as it moved northwestward at 25 kph.
Torres said Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 5 was hoisted over the central portion of Aurora, including Dipaculao, Baler, Dinalungan, Maria Aurora, Casiguran and San Luis; the southern portion of Quirino, particularly Nagtipunan; and the southern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, including Alfonso Castañeda, Dupax del Norte, Dupax del Sur, Kasibu, Aritao and Bambang.
She added that Signal No. 4 was raised over the rest of Aurora, the rest of Nueva Vizcaya, the rest of Quirino, the southern portion of Ifugao, including Kiangan, Lamut, Tinoc, Asipulo and Lagawe; Benguet; the southern portion of Ilocos Sur, including Alilem, Sugpon, Suyo, Santa Cruz and Tagudin; La Union; the eastern portion of Pangasinan, including Sison, Tayug, Binalonan, San Manuel, Asingan, San Quintin, Santa Maria, Natividad, San Nicolas, Balungao, Pozorrubio, Laoac, San Jacinto, San Fabian, Manaoag, City of Urdaneta, Rosales, Umingan, Mangaldan, Mapandan, Villasis and Santo Tomas; and the northern portion of Nueva Ecija, including Gabaldon, Laur, Bongabon, Pantabangan, Rizal, General Mamerto Natividad, Lupao, San Jose City, Llanera, Carranglan, Science City of Muñoz, Talugtug and Cuyapo.
Signal No. 3 was raised over the southern portion of Isabela, including San Agustin, Jones, Echague, San Guillermo, Angadanan, Alicia, San Mateo, Ramon, San Isidro, City of Santiago, Cordon, Dinapigue, Roxas, Aurora, Cabatuan, City of Cauayan, Luna, San Mariano, Benito Soliven, Naguilian, Reina Mercedes, San Manuel and Burgos; the rest of Ifugao; Mountain Province; the southern portion of Kalinga, including Pasil, Tanudan, Lubuagan and Tinglayan; the southern portion of Abra, including Tubo, Luba, Pilar, Villaviciosa, San Isidro, Pidigan, Langiden, San Quintin, Bangued, Manabo, Boliney, Peñarrubia, Bucloc, Sallapadan and Bucay; the rest of Ilocos Sur; the rest of Pangasinan; the northern and eastern portions of Tarlac, including Paniqui, La Paz, Moncada, City of Tarlac, Gerona, Pura, San Clemente, Santa Ignacia, Victoria, Camiling, Concepcion, Ramos, San Manuel and Anao; the rest of Nueva Ecija; the northern portion of Bulacan, including Doña Remedios Trinidad and San Miguel; and the northern portion of Quezon, including Infanta and General Nakar, including Polillo Islands.
Signal No. 2 was raised over Metro Manila; the rest of Isabela; the southwestern portion of mainland Cagayan, including Enrile, Tuao, Solana, Tuguegarao City, Piat and Rizal; the rest of Kalinga; the southern portion of Apayao, including Conner and Kabugao; the rest of Abra; Ilocos Norte; Zambales; the rest of Tarlac; the northern portion of Bataan, including Orani, Abucay, Hermosa, Samal and Dinalupihan; Pampanga; the rest of Bulacan; Rizal; the northeastern portion of Laguna, including Santa Cruz, Pila, Mabitac, Paete, Pagsanjan, Pangil, Santa Maria, Siniloan, Cavinti, Kalayaan, Lumban, Pakil and Famy; and the central portion of Quezon, including Sampaloc, Mauban, Perez and Real.
Signal No. 1 was hoisted over the rest of mainland Cagayan; the rest of Apayao; the rest of Bataan; Cavite; the rest of Laguna; Batangas; the rest of Quezon; the northern portion of Occidental Mindoro, including Abra de Ilog and Paluan, including Lubang Islands; the northern portion of Oriental Mindoro, including Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Naujan, Baco and Calapan City; Marinduque; Camarines Norte; and the northern portion of Camarines Sur, including Libmanan, Tinambac, Siruma, Cabusao, Canaman, Magarao, Calabanga, Bombon, Sipocot, Ragay, Del Gallego, Lupi, Lagonoy, Goa, Garchitorena, Pasacao, Pamplona, Camaligan and Gainza.
PAGASA assistant weather services chief Chris Perez said the heavy clouds brought by Pepito that previously affected the Eastern Visayas and Bicol region will also bring rains in many portions of Northern and Central Luzon and portions of Southern Luzon.
Perez added that at 8 a.m. yesterday, Pepito was located east of Quezon and was expected to cross the northern portion of Central Luzon and exit the country’s landmass last night via the La Union area.
Pepito is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) in the morning or at noon today.
“By (Monday) morning or noon, Pepito is expected to be located outside the northern area boundary of our PAR,” Perez said.
He added that intense to torrential rains, or more than 200 millimeters of rains, are expected until noon today in Ilocos Sur, Benguet, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora and Quezon; heavy to intense rains, or 100 to 200 mm of rains, in Isabela, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Abra, Nueva Ecija, portions of Bulacan, Rizal and Camarines Norte; and moderate to heavy rains, or 50 to 100 mm of rains, in Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Laguna, Bataan, Pampanga, Zambales and Tarlac.
“Our message here is that for the past weeks, typhoons have affected many areas in Northern, Central and Southern Luzon; this means that even moderate to heavy rains may result to flooding in your areas and, hopefully, by now you are already secured in the designated evacuation centers or you are already on higher grounds, especially if you are residing in low-lying areas, near the mountains and in coastal areas,” Perez said.
Meanwhile, the PAGASA official noted that storm surge of more than three meters is expected in Aurora, Camarines Norte, Pangasinan and Quezon.
He added that storm surge from 2.1 to three meters is expected in Albay, Bataan, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Cavite, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, La Union, Marinduque, the first and second districts of Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Quezon, Sorsogon and Zambales.
Storm surge from one to two meters is expected in Bataan, Bulacan, Ilocos Norte, third district of Metro Manila, Pampanga and Sorsogon.
The state weather bureau also raised a gale warning yesterday as waves from 3.4 to 14 meters offshore are expected in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Quezon, including Polillo Island, Isabela, the eastern coast of Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite and Batangas.
852,475 people affected
Over 852,000 people across the country have been affected by Pepito while two persons were reported injured, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said yesterday.
In its latest situational report, the NDRRMC said no deaths or missing persons have been reported as the super typhoon hit the country, but two persons were confirmed injured in Central Luzon.
Office of Civil Defense chief Ariel Nepomuceno also said no deaths have been reported, but there was “extensive” damage to structures in Catanduanes.
The NDRRMC reported that 111,658 of the 852,475 affected individuals were displaced. A total of 75,581 are staying at evacuation centers, while 36,077 took shelter elsewhere.
Affected individuals were reported in Region 1 (Ilocos), Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 5 (Bicol) and Cordillera Administrative Region yesterday.
The NDRRMC said the damage to agriculture caused by Pepito as of yesterday was estimated at P855,326, affecting 52 farmers.
Amid the super typhoon’s onslaught, the government distributed over P45 million worth of assistance.
Nepomuceno said 11 out of 16 municipalities in Catanduanes were reportedly severely affected by Pepito.
A total of 238,982 families have been affected by typhoons Nika (international name Toraji), Ofel (Usagi) and Pepito, according to the NDRRMC.
Philippine Army units deployed humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) teams in areas in Luzon affected by Pepito.
The 9th Infantry Division deployed 81 HADR teams in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate to support search and rescue operations in the Bicol Region.
The 2nd Infantry Division also deployed rescue personnel and three KM450s to Buenavista and San Rafael towns in Quezon province and Capalonga, Camarines Norte to assist in HADR operations in these areas.
The 59th Infantry Battalion also deployed two military trucks to assist in the Quezon provincial government’s rescue efforts.
As of 8 a.m. yesterday, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel had helped in the preemptive evacuation of over 561,528 individuals and 161,527 families as a precaution against the possible harsh weather condition caused by Pepito, according to the agency.
PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said that they have deployed 6,790 PCG personnel, seven vessels and 613 land mobility and surface vehicles that served as force augmentation teams.
As of noon yesterday, the number of stranded people at seaports because of Pepito had reached close to 5,000, according to the PCG.
Based on data shared by the agency, 4,930 passengers, truck drivers and cargo helpers temporarily sought shelter at various seaports in the country.
Class, government work suspensions
Malacañang yesterday said that the cancellation of classes and suspension of work in government offices amid the devastation of Pepito rests with the respective local chief executives.
“Upon consultation with the relevant government agencies and the NDRRMC, cancellation of classes and/or suspension of work in government offices is given to the respective local chief executives, taking into consideration the situation in their respective localities,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement.
The local government of Valenzuela City had already declared class suspension in all levels, both public and private, for today.
Classes in all levels, both public and private, have been also suspended in Laguna, Cavite and Nueva Ecija.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong yesterday suspended classes in all levels, both public and private, for today.
“Work in government offices will also be suspended half-day (on Monday), from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Work resumes at 1 p.m.,” Magalong said.
Class suspension in all levels and work in government offices have also been declared in Tarlac and Pangasinan.
Class suspension in all levels has been declared in Laurel and Lian, Batangas and Morong, Rizal.
In Bulacan, the City of Malolos and the towns of Baliwag, Pandi, San Ildefonso, San Rafael, Plaridel, San Miguel, Bulakan, Santa Maria, Obando, Bustos, Hagonoy, Marilao, Calumpit, Norzagaray and Bocaue have suspended classes for today.
Classes in all levels, both in public and private schools, as well as work in government offices in Pangasinan today have also been suspended.
Pangasinan Gov. Ramon Guico III yesterday signed Executive Order 0138 series of 2024 declaring the suspensions. — Pia Lee-Brago, Evelyn Macairan, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Cesar Ramirez, Mayen Jaymalin, Neil Jayson Servallos, Artemio Dumlao, Rudy Santos