Pagasa belies ‘super typhoon’ speculations, calls for vigilance

Weather bureau assures: No supertyphoon ‘Neneng,’ no landfall in Visayas

Tropical depression Neneng won’t develop into a super typhoon and won’t make landfall in the Visayas.”

Al Quiblat, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration Mactan (Pagasa-Mactan), gave this assurance to the public as he belied speculations which came out on social media about Neneng.

“Walay Super Typhoon Neneng. It’s only a tropical depression and if naa man tay gibantayan nga typhoon, that is the one outside PAR (There is no Super Typhoon Neneng. It’s only a tropical depression. If we are monitoring a typhoon, that is the one outside PAR [Philippine Area of Responsibility]),” said Quiblat.

Tropical depression Neneng, the Low Pressure Area (LPA) earlier reported affecting Northern Luzon, is expected to prevail until it exits PAR anytime Tuesday, September 11.

Quiblat said on Monday that in the Visayas at least in the next 24 hours, might experience isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms.

On the typhoon that the weather bureau has been monitoring, Quiblat was referring to the internationally named Mangkhut, which is still outside the PAR and is currently located 2,400 kilometers east of Southern Luzon.

According to the weather bureau, Mangkhut is moving west southwest at 35 kilometers per hour (kph) with maximum sustained winds at 130 KPH and gustiness of up to 160 KPH.

Quiblat said Typhoon Mangkhut is expected to enter PAR by Wednesday night and will be named Typhoon Ompong.

He, however, said that Typhoon Ompong might make a landfall in northern Luzon while it’s trough would bring light to moderate rains with moderate to rough seas in the Visayas.

With this development, Quiblat encouraged the public to monitor Pagasa weather updates and coordinate with their local disaster management offices to minimize damage on life and property.

Palace advice

Malacanang, on the other hand, also asked the public to prepare amid the possibility that Typhoon “Mangkhut,” might develop into a supertyphoon while inside the PAR.

“Hindi po natin mapipigilan ang mga aberya gaya ng supertyphoon pero mababawasan po natin ang danyos na dinudulot ng mga ganitong aberya sa pamamagitan ng pagiging handa,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace press briefing.

(We cannot stop disasters like a supertyphoon, but we can lessen the damage this disturbance can cause through being ready and prepared.)

Roque noted that the Social Welfare Department “is ready to provide humanitarian assistance” and that strategic plans are already in place.

Ahead of Mangkhut’s entry to PAR, Roque said Cabinet members would discuss on Tuesday the state of readiness of all the agencies responding to calamities.

The Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) also said on Monday that they had already alerted all their local counterparts to be ready to respond to any emergencies when the typhoon would enter the PAR.

“If it will develop into a super typhoon or not, our office and personnel are ready to respond,” said Jules Regner, PDRRMO Information Officer.

Regner said that they had also prepared their heavy and light equipment to respond if the typhoon would bring flooding or landslides.

Trees toppled

In another development, heavy rains on Sunday apparently caused the soil to loosen, causing three trees including a century-old acacia tree to fall over in Sibonga town in southern Cebu.

Damiano Ofqueria, Sibonga town disaster management officer, said in an interview on Monday that the rains might have loosened the soil and caused the trees to fall over.

Ofqueria said that the century-old acacia tree in front of the town church in Barangay Poblacion fell over at 8:30 a.m. obstructing the national highway.

A balete tree inside the Sibonga National High School, which was 80 meters away from the century old acacia tree, also fell over at around 10 a.m.
At about the same time, in Barangay Bagacay, also in Sibonga town, another acacia tree also toppled apparently because of the loosened soil from the rains on Sunday.

Both toppled acacia trees blocked roads and Ofqueria said that he had to seek help from the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRMMO) to clear the road of the fallen trees. /With Inquirer.net report