‘ODETTE’ HEADS TOWARD CAGAYAN

TROPICAL depression Odette slightly accelerated, tagging more areas under Signal No. 1 as it moved toward Cagayan on Thursday.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Cagayan Valley issued were rendered impassable because of a heavy downpour.

Impassable were Cagayan’s Tawi overflow bridge in Peñablanca town, Bagusat and Bagunit over - ayan City, Isabela.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba on Thursday issued a notice sus- pending classes from pre-school to senior high school in both private and public schools based on a recommendation by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Manage

He also postponed the provincial development council meeting in Cagayan sub-capitol in Bangag, Lallo town, and advised local chief executives to be in their respective areas of responsibility.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Odette was 540 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City and was moving west northwest at 30 kilometers per hour with maximum winds of 55 kph and gustiness of up to 65 kph.

Tropical cyclone warning Signal No. 1 remains raised in Cagayan including Babuyan Group of Islands, Isabela, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

Batanes, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur were also placed under this signal, Pagasa said in its 11 a.m. forecast.

It added that Odette could intensify into a tropical storm before it makes landfall over Cagayan on Thursday night.

Cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon and Visayas because of the tropical depression.

Mindanao will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies apart from isolated rainshowers mostly in the afternoon or evening because of localized thunderstorms.

Odette is forecast to be 575 km west of Laoag City and will be outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Saturday morning.