PBBM’s order covers NCR, nearby areas as ‘Florita’ lashes N. Luzon
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday ordered the suspension of work in government offices and classes in public schools in the National Capital Region, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Zambales, and Bataan from Aug. 23 to Aug. 24, due to Severe Tropical Storm Florita.
The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) issued the announcement on the recommendation of the Office of Civil Defense.
The same course of action for private schools and offices is left to the discretion of their respective heads, the announcement said.
Malacanang said that heavy rains pose possible risks to the general public as it advised Filipinos to exercise caution amid Florita-related rains, floods, landslides and other risks.
During a press briefing at the Palace, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the President wants evacuation centers for distressed individuals to be identified.
“We came from a Cabinet meeting and this was among his directives. So, it’s ensured that our evacuation centers are identified and just like the DSWD, we are in constant touch with our local government unit partners on the ground,” Abalos said.
Abalos also guaranteed that food and water supplies were available for families affected by Florita.
Severe tropical storm Florita slightly weakened on Tuesday afternoon, state weather bureau PAGASA said as it retained tropical cyclone warning signals in dozens of areas.
Florita was in the vicinity of Kabugao, Apayao, packing maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers near the center and up to 125 kph gusts, PAGASA said in its 5 p.m. bulletin.
The weather bureau said heavy to intense with at times torrential rains would be experienced Tuesday over Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Zambales, and Bataan.
Expect moderate to heavy rains over Metro Manila, Isabela, Tarlac, Pampanga, Cavite, and the rest of Cagayan Valley, and light to moderate with at times heavy rains over the rest of Central Luzon and Calabarzon, PAGASA added.
Floods and landslides are possible under these conditions, it warned.
PAGASA raised tropical cyclone warning signal no. 3 in Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the southern portion of Babuyan Islands (Camiguin Is., Fuga Is., Dalupiri Is.) and mainland Cagayan.
Storm signal 2 was hoisted over Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Abra, Ilocos Sur and the rest of the Babuyan Islands.
PAGASA said storm signal 1 is in effect in La Union, the eastern portion of Pangasinan (Umingan, San Fabian, Sison, Pozorrubio, San Jacinto, Laoac, Binalonan, San Manuel, Asingan, Tayug, Santa Maria, San Quintin, Natividad, San Nicolas), Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, the northern portion of Nueva Ecija (Carranglan, Lupao, San Jose City, Pantabangan), and the northern and central portions of Aurora (Maria Aurora, Dipaculao, Dinalungan, Casiguran, Dilasag).
In the next 24 hours, PAGASA said the southwest monsoon or habagat would also bring rains over Western Visayas and Mimaropa.
Severe tropical storm Florita struck the northeast coast of Luzon around mid-morning, raking the largely agricultural region with gusts of up to 185 kilometers an hour, the state weather service said.
Two people were injured by falling trees in the mountainous province of Cagayan where intense rain caused the main river and its tributaries to swell overnight, provincial disaster official Ruelie Rasping said.
“We’re currently being hit by strong winds and heavy rain. The Cagayan river is rising,” Rasping said.
At the Cagayan Valley Medical Center in Tuguegarao City, four people were treated after sustaining injuries due to the effects of Florita.
“There were 4 patients rushed to the hospital,” said Dr. Glenn Matthew Baggao, the hospital’s medical director.
Two of the patients were kids who suffered injuries due to a falling tree branch.
The provincial capital Tuguegarao was drenched with 98 millimeters (3.9 inches) of “torrential” rain over a three-hour period after the storm made landfall, an official at the state weather bureau said.
Florita was expected to sweep in a northwest direction across the country and head out over the South China Sea late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Some low-lying areas of Metro Manila were left in knee-deep floodwater, as the storm intensified the southwest monsoon.
More than 500 people in Northern Luzon were evacuated as severe tropical storm Florita barreled Northern Luzon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said those preemptively evacuated were from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Cagayan Valley.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has P1.7 billion in standby funds to aid victims of calamities.
DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo said 100,000 food boxes were on standby in the Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley.
In Metro Manila, the first alarm was raised at Marikina River as the water level reached 15.2 meters Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rains brought by Florita.
Marikina’s Public Information Office (PIO) said all the eight floodgates are open.
Under Marikina City’s system, the first alarm will be raised when the water reaches 15 meters.
In other developments:
• The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has suspended the number coding scheme for two days, Aug. 23 and 24.
• The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered suspension of work in its various offices on Wednesday following the onslaught of Florita.
• The Philippines, ranked among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change, is hit by an average of 20 storms every year.
Florita was the first significant one since April when tropical storm Agaton unleashed landslides and flooding that killed more than 200 people mostly on the central island of Leyte.
Florita struck a day after the Philippines reopened classrooms for face-to-face lessons, more than two years after the pandemic hit.