Flights cancelled; rains till Saturday

SIXTEEN flights and several sea trips were canceled due to the continued presence of a low pressure area yesterday.

As of 6 p.m. yesterday, shipping companies of MV Weesam-7 plying the Cebu to Ormoc route and motorbanca Super SM covering the Bantayan-Cadiz route canceled their trips.

“The waves were huge in the past few days but it wasn’t so much today (yesterday),” Rodolfo Villajun, Coast Guard (CG) station commander in Cebu

Cebu Pacific canceled 16 flights from Manila to Cagayan de Oro, Naga, Butuan and Tacloban and vice versa due to bad weather.

In Cebu, four flights from Cebu to Cagayan de Oro, Tacloban and General Santos City and vice versa were also canceled.

Passengers can either re-book their flights within 30 days from the original departure date or request for a full refund.

Mayma Casillagan, weather specialist of the state weather bureau Pagasa, said Cebu will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rains with thunderstorm until Saturday.

The LPA was spotted yesterday at 60 kilometers north of Butuan City and the northeast monsoon winds affecting Northern and Central Luzon.

The cold Siberian winds lowered temperatures in Cebu ranging from 23°C – 26°C yesterday.

Meanwhile the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvocs) will conduct seismic surveys in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu Lapu this week that could be used for their Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).

Dr. Rhommel Gruta, Phivolcs science research specialist, said soil survey data will help determine which parts of the area is ideal for medium and high rise buildings.

Grutas’ team started at the Fuente Osmeña circle near the fountain.

The team was also asked to include the city’s South Road Properties (SRP) and a portion of Osmeña Boulevard. The group will be in Cebu from Jan. 14 to 21.

The ground shaking hazard assessment mapping will also guide Local Government Units (LGUs) to plan their disaster response programs in the event of another earthquake.

“We try to identify the thickness of the sedimentary deposits in the area and why it is affected by ground shaking,” said Grutas.

Grutas said the seismic survey will also help them determine why several structures in Cebu were damaged during the Oct. 15 earthquake when its center was located in the neighboring province of Bohol.

The Cebu City government asked for the seismic survey shortly after the earthquake hit.

“We want to identify areas with soft soil so we can already make our plans especially on building constructions (for the APEC summit and International Eucharistic Congress),” Councilor Dave Tumulak said.