PAGASA RAISES STORM WARNING IN
20 AREAS
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - Members of the Philippine Coast Guard prepare a rubber boat for
deployment to northern Luzon during a sendoff ceremony at the PCG headquarters
in Manila yesterday. EDD GUMBAN |MANILA,
Philippines]
MANILA, OCTOBER 21, 2009 (STAR) By Helen Flores - The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) yesterday raised storm warning signals in at least 20 areas in northern Luzon as typhoon “Ramil” moved closer to the country.
Pagasa also r enewed its urgent call for residents living in high-risk areas in northern Luzon to leave for safer ground as Ramil, the third storm to hit the country this month, is certain to hit the region tomorrow.
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, storm warning signal no. 2 was hoisted over the Batanes group of islands, Cagayan (including Calayan and Babuyan Islands) and Isabela.
Signal no. 1 was raised over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Benguet, La Union, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora and northern Quezon, including Polillo Island.
Pagasa administrator Prisco Nilo also warned residents in the eastern coast of northern and central Luzon against storm surge, particularly the populated areas of Palanan, Isabela and northern Aurora.
“They must evacuate now. Those who can move to safer places should not wait for the local officials to evacuate them,” Pagasa deputy administrator Nathaniel Cruz said at a press briefing at the Pagasa Weather and Flood Forecasting Center in Quezon City.
Cruz said worsening weather condition is expected in northern and some parts of central Luzon as the typhoon moves closer to the country.
He said the whole country would experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.
Nilo said some areas in northern Luzon were already experiencing heavy rains as of yesterday.
Anticipating ‘Lupit’s’ cruelty
Ramil (international code name: Lupit), packing winds of 195 kilometers per hour near the center, is expected to make landfall over Cagayan province around noon Thursday.
Nilo said a typhoon of that strength could cause major damage like toppling power and phone lines and uprooting trees.
He said Ramil could still reach super typhoon status (215 kph maximum sustained winds) as it was still over the Pacific Ocean where it could gain strength.
Nilo said they might raise storm warning signal no. 4 over northern Luzon provinces before Ramil hits land on Thursday.
He said because Ramil is a large and powerful typhoon, the radius of damaging winds extends far beyond the center.
“The typhoon’s circulation could reach even provinces in the northern section of central Luzon which includes Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales and Pampanga,” Nilo told reporters.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the eye of Ramil was spotted some 750 kilometers east northeast of Aparri, Cagayan, packing winds of 195 kph and gustiness of up to 230 kph.
Ramil was forecast to move west at 15 kph.
Nilo said a high-pressure area off Hong Kong has slowed down the movement of Ramil and pushed it downward toward northern Luzon.
He said because Ramil slowed down, residents in affected areas would continue to experience stormy weather in the next few days.
Ramil is expected to be at 440 km east northeast of Aparri this afternoon, at 90 km east northeast of Aparri or at 195 km east of Aparri by tomorrow afternoon.
By Friday afternoon, it would be at 180 km west southwest of Laoag City.
Nilo said Ramil is expected to bring 20 to 25 millimeters per hour of rains during its passage on Thursday, which could last for about 12 hours.
Church calls on the faithful
The Catholic Church, anticipating a debilitating weather disturbance that could bring so much damage to life and property, called on the Filipino people to pray that they be spared.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) treasurer Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco called on the people to pray the Oratio Imperata (obligatory prayer), an old Catholic tradition where the bishop leads the community in prayer for a special intention.
“Global warming is upon us. Typhoons, floods, volcanic eruption, and other natural calamities occur in increasing number and intensity,” part of the prayer reads.
“The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing, and now we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference,” the prayer, which is mandated to be read at Mass, reads.
All out for NDCC
Meanwhile, a senior disaster official stressed yesterday that the government can only prepare so much in the face of the incoming typhoon.
Former Army general and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) executive officer Glenn Rabonza said the government is now all out in its preparations “to welcome Ramil,” but these are mainly aimed at mitigating the impact when it hits land.
“Disaster equipment, food, medicine, relief goods and other forms of life support systems have already been pre-positioned in various areas. We have been doing this since last Saturday,” Rabonza said.
Rabonza said that with the massive disaster preparations, the NDCC is now leaving the matter to local executives to take the necessary precautionary measures in looking after the welfare of their constituents.
“Those living along the coastlines under Signal No. 2 are advised to be on alert against big waves generated by Ramil,” Rabonza said.
The government was moving fast to prevent any loss of life this time around, stocking up on food and clothes and moving residents out of harm’s way.
“These days we no longer have a problem convincing residents to evacuate,” said Loreto Espenilli, police chief of Benguet where almost 300 people died during the onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng.”
Village officials were using megaphones to warn of the impending typhoon and sirens will be sounded once it makes landfall.
“We will force them to leave if they don’t want to. It is easier to evacuate people than to dig for their bodies after a mudslide,” Espenilli said.
Hundreds of rescuers and tons of emergency supplies were already put in place in Northern Luzon and preparations were also being made to evacuate residents in the direct path of Ramil.
Bonifacio Cuarteros, civil defense chief in Cagayan, where Ramil is expected to cause most damage, said rescue teams and dozens of trucks capable of passing through floods have been deployed along the northern coast.
The NDCC has delivered 90 tons of food and other relief items to northern Luzon, while 44 tons were being flown to the sparsely populated Batanes Islands. – Jaime Laude, Evelyn Macairan, Eva Visperas, AP
P6.3-billion calamity loans released (The Philippine Star) Updated October 21, 2009 12:00 AM
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - Workers remove billboards along the North Luzon Expressway yesterday
in preparation for super typhoon 'Ramil.' JONJON VICENCIO]
MANILA, Philippines - The Pag-IBIG Fund has so far released P6.3 billion to members affected by storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” since the agency started processing calamity loan applications last Sept. 28, Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chairman Noli de Castro said yesterday.
“As of Oct. 19, the Pag-IBIG Fund has received 539,008 applications from affected members in the NCR and Luzon regions, of which 367,405 have already been approved,” De Castro said.
De Castro earlier approved the release of an additional P3 billion over and above the P3-billion funding earmarked for Pag-IBIG’s calamity loan program because of the volume of applications the Fund receives on a daily basis.
“With the extent of devastation caused by the typhoons, the number of calamity loan applications we receive on a daily basis is 12 times more than what the Fund attends to during normal situations. For the past two weeks, we received an average of 30,000 calamity loan applications daily,” said Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) chief executive officer Jaime Fabiaña.
Long queues of clients have been a common sight in HDMF offices servicing members in calamity-stricken areas.
“VP De Castro instructed us to undertake measures that will expedite the processing of applications. We tapped employee volunteers even from our branches in Mindanao and the Visayas to augment the existing manpower in receiving and processing applications. We also asked our vice presidents to help in the signing of the calamity loan checks,” Fabiana said.
He said the agency expects that the volume of clients will start to wane in the coming two to three weeks “as more and more affected members are able to claim their loan proceeds.”
Under the Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan Program, active Fund members who have paid at least 24 monthly contributions and who are residents of localities declared as calamity areas are qualified to apply. Qualified Fund members can borrow up to 80 percent of their total accumulated savings. The loan has a five-month grace period and is payable in 24 months. Members with existing short-term loans with Pag-IBIG can still avail of the assistance. – Pia Lee-Brago