‘Pepito’ affects over 25,000

MANILA – Some 5,555 families amounting to 25,268 individuals have been tagged as affected by the tropical storm, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Thursday.

This, while 1,789 families or 8,473 persons were forced to stay outside evacuation centers, NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal told reporters in a text message.

According to Timbal, no casualties or missing persons have been reported to the council as of yet.

“89 evacuation centers were used across Regions 2, 3, and Calabarzon,” he said.

“Cost of damages has been tagged as on this morning: P121,697,633.18. Of which P92.4 million is agriculture, while P29.2 million is infrastructure mostly coming from school facilities,” he added.

Pagasa: Now a typhoon, Pepito outside PAR

In its latest weather bulletin, state weather bureau PAGASA

said that Pepito was last seen 475 km west northwest of Iba, Zambales, outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, and still packing gustiness of up to 150 kph.

It is forecast to continue moving northwestward at 20 kph, and later westward and is expected to hit Vietnam on Sunday.

“Today, light to moderate with at times heavy rains will be experienced over Batanes, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan,” PAGASA said, adding that all Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals in the Philippines have been lifted.

However, Gale warning remains in effect over the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon and the western seaboards of Central Luzon, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro (including Lubang Island), and Palawan (including Calamian and Kalayaan Islands) due to rough waters, indicating that sea travel is risky over these areas, especially for small seacrafts. –Philstar.com