Cebu City policemen don raincoats as they watch over the streets of Cebu during the Sinulog 2019 grand parade held Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. Spectators have reached about two million at noon despite the downpour spawned by Tropical Storm “Amang,” said Senior Supt. Royina Garma, the Cebu City police chief.| Benjie Talisic
CEBU CITY — It started to rain at noontime today while hundreds of thousands of spectators were already out on the streets to watch the Sinulog grand parade.
But the rain did not stop the crowd from enjoying the performance of more than a hundred contingents participating in today’s festivities. Crowd marshalls had raincoats to wear while spectators brought out their umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain.
Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said almost two million are out on the streets of Cebu City to watch the mardi gras-like grand parade that began at 9 a.m. on this third Sunday of January 2019.
The contingents, who donned brightly colored costumes, and the equally the colorful floats, puppets and giants all seemed to dispel the gloom brought on by the light to moderate rain spawned by Tropical Storm “Amang.”
In its 11 a.m. weather advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that TD Amang has “slightly accelerated” as it continues to move towards Caraga Region.
The eye of the typhoon was spotted 165 kilometers (km) east northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur or 280 km east southeast of Surigao City, Surigao as of 10 a.m. today, January 20, with a maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) near the centre and gustiness of up to 60 kph.
As a precautionary measure, the Philippine Coastguard (PCG) has ordered the grounding of vessels that are headed for the ports of Tagbilaran, Tubigon and Getafe in Bohol province and Palampon and Maasin in Leyte province.
Pagasa said that Amang is expected to make a landfall over Surigao del Norte later this afternoon or tonight.
Moderate to heavy rains are now experienced over Caraga, northern Mindanao, eastern Visayas, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, northern Negros Provinces, northern Cebu, and Bohol.
“Residents of the aforementioned areas, especially those living in areas at high risk of flooding and landslides are advised to take appropriate actions, coordinate with local disaster risk reduction and management offices, and continue monitoring for updates, especially the Severe Weather Bulletins and the Heavy Rainfall Warnings from PAGASA Regional Services Divisions,” said the Pagasa advisory.
Fisherfolks with small seacrafts are also advised to refrain from going into sea.
The Pagasa advisory said that Amang is expected to head for the vicinity of Abuyog, Leyte in the next 24 hours and to northwest of Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu province on Tuesday morning.
Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Leyte, southern Leyte, eastern Bohol, northern Cebu, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands and Camiguin remains under Tropical Cyclone Signal No. 1.
“The public and the disaster risk reduction and management council concerned are advised to take appropriate actions and watch for the next Severe Weather Bulletin to be issued at 2 PM today,” the advisory added. /elb