BOHOL, CEBU TRIPS CANCELLED
As typhoon Ompong continues to rage through PAR since 3 p.m. yesterday, boat trips were cancelled in the Visayas
More boat trips are expected to be cancelled today after Typhoon Ompong entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) yesterday at 3 p.m.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) 7 cancelled trips of boats plying Cebu and Bohol even earlier at noon yesterday.
Lt. JG Michael John Encina, operations office of the PCG 7, said all ports in Bohol and Cebu were closed yesterday.
They are likewise monitoring trips outside Cebu and Bohol to make sure passengers are safe.
Different government agencies, led by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) 7, yesterday held a meeting on the topic, “Emergency Preparedness for Typhoon Ompong.”
The multi-agency meeting was attended by the Police Regional Office, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) 7, local government units (LGU’s), the PCG 7, among others.
OCD 7 Director Concepcion Ornopia said they are now on Blue Alert, which means they are 50% ready.
They have also urged other LGU’s to prepare since the the typhoon, even if it doesn’t strike the region directly, will still cause stronger southwest monsoon and may cause casualties.
Oscar Tabada, chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Visayas, said Cebu will have a hot to cloudy day, but heavy downpour is expected tomorrow with winds at 30-50 kilometers per hour (kph) and sea waves reading 1.5 to three meters.
Expected landfall will be in northern Luzon. Ompong will be out of PAR by Sunday.
Province Yesterday, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Chief Baltazar Tribunal Jr., would have wanted to stop the Provincial athletes from leaving for the Batang Pinoy games in Baguio City, but the Philippine Sports Commission assured that it has contingency plans for the athletes, and thus they were allowed to leave.
Most of the athletes will be traveling by plane, and should the weather turns bad in Manila, they will have to stay there for a while before heading for Baguio.
Meantime, Cebu City Command Center operations officer Harold Alcontin said they are closely monitoring Busay Elementary and National High School after a minor landslide in the area.
He said there are 19 barangays in Cebu City that are highly susceptible to landslide while nine are flood-prone.
Lapu-Lapu
Olango Island residents were also advised not to cross to mainland Lapu-Lapu City yesterday.
The City’s disaster agency has also deployed teams in floodprone barangays and had declogger tanks on standby to suck out floodwater.
Mayor Paz Radaza also told fishermen to avoid getting out to the sea while the waves are high.
Barangay Basak’s Chief Isabelita Darnayla, whose village is most flood-prone during heavy downpour, said they have prepared the covered court and the elementary school as evacuation centers.
She said her barangay is perennially flood-prone because of its low elevation and the construction of many buildings that block floodwater.
A bulk of water also comes out of the Mactan Cebu International Airport runway and into her barangay.
“Molunop gyud mi. Mahal man pud nang declogger tank dili ka-afford ang barangay ana (We really get flooded. Our barangay can’t afford a declogger),” said Darnayla.
Ang Basak usa na sa mga suki nga barangay nga mohuwam sa declogger tank sa city hall.
PRO 7 Director Debold Sinas declared a red alert yesterday morning in relation to typhoon Ompong.
He released a directive to lower units, including town police stations, to prepare their search and rescue equipment.
With the directive, no police officer can take a leave of absence and all applied leaves are cancelled.