Several schools suspend classes

The Department of Education (DepEd) has alerted schools nationwide to prepare for the expected impact of Typhoon Ompong.

Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla yesterday said each division and regional office has an established protocol to prepare for an incoming weather disturbance.

“We also have our disaster risk reduction and management service which has alerted all our schools to prepare,” she said.

“Some classes were already suspended in advance,” she added.

In Metro Manila, among those that have already suspended classes in all levels today are Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig and San Juan.

Among the local government units in Northern Luzon that have suspended classes in all levels for today are Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Camarines Sur, Zambales, Sorsogon, Apayao, Kalinga and Mountain Province.

Classes are also suspended in parts of Pangasinan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac and Quezon.

Local government executives in the 19 towns and in San Fernando City, La Union suspended classes from yesterday to tomorrow in anticipation of the effects of Ompong.

San Fernando City Mayor Dong Gualberto also declared the suspension of work both in the public and private sectors, except those in front line services or those involved in disaster preparedness and rescue operations.

In San Juan, La Union, Mayor Arturo Valdriz has approved the cancelation of operations of almost all beach resorts to avoid untoward incidents, particularly in the surfing areas of Barangays Urbiztondo, Ili Sur, Ili Norte and Taboc.

In Albay, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) ordered the cancelation of classes from pre-school to high school in both private and public schools as early as last Wednesday afternoon.

PDRRMO director Cedric Daep said classes were canceled starting yesterday morning as tropical storm warning signal No. 1 has been raised over Albay, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte.

Aside from the suspension of classes, fishermen were also warned not to go out into the open sea due to the risk of inclement weather.

Daep said all city and municipal disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) councils in Albay’s three cities and 15 towns are closely monitoring the deterioration of the weather.

“We have various responses to the risks posed by flooding, landslide and lahar,” he said, adding it is part of “our preemptive measures to prevent casualty.”

Based on experience, Daep said 60 minutes of sustained heavy rainfall on the slopes of Mayon Volcano can trigger life-threatening lahar.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Bicol regional director Claudio Yucot said a lahar evacuation plan for affected villagers at the river channels around Mayon has been activated.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) deputy director Jun Dalida warned villagers living along river channels on the slopes of Mayon – in the municipalities of Camalig, Sto. Domingo and Daraga – to brace for torrential rains which could be triggered by Ompong on Thursday and Friday.

Yucot said that at present, there are about 60 million cubic meters of volcanic debris on the slopes of Mayon.

“We are going to issue an evacuation order when there are 25 to 30 minutes of tor- rential rains brought about by Ompong,” he said.

Yucot said the agency has issued a no fishing advisory since Monday to warn fishermen not to set out to sea.

Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal on Wednesday inspected three brand new ambulances as part of its 9/11 emergency rescue program, especially during natural disasters.

Meanwhile, Sorsogon City DRRM officer Doods Marianito said classes in all levels were suspended starting Wednesday, affecting about 22,000 school children up to senior high school.

“Our disaster response is now focused on the city’s 46 coastal barangays due to the risk of storm surge,” Marianito said.

He said some 22 of the 64 barangays in Sorsogon City are at risk to flooding and landslides.

Classes in all levels were suspended starting yesterday in Catanduanes and Camarines Sur.

Mindanao suspensions

In Mindanao, the Zamboanga City government yesterday suspended classes on all levels, both public and private, and sea travel due to incessant rains expected to be spawned by Ompong which is barreling toward the country.

In its advisory, the city’s DRRMO said the local government decided on the suspension as the entire city, based on reports from PAGASA, has been experiencing continuous rains since Wednesday night.

The city government also directed all disaster units in the 98 barangays to closely monitor the situation in their areas, particularly those susceptible to floods, landslides and storm surges.

The people were asked to heed the barangay DRRMC advisories to prevent loss of lives and properties.

The local tourism office also suspended several packaged tours to island spots.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Zamboanga suspended travel of all small types of sea craft plying Sulu and Tawi-Tawi due to the rough sea condition.

Zamboanga PCG station commander Lt. Cmdr. Noriel Ramos said their advisory is expected to be upgraded anytime depending on the effects of Ompong.

In flood-prone areas and riverside barangays in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), officials have suspended classes due to heavy rains since dawn of yesterday.

Rescue contingents of the Police Regional Office-ARMM and the Western Mindanao Command are on full alert in anticipation of the possible effects of Ompong on the 118 towns in the autonomous region.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman yesterday said their rapid deployment Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team (HEART) is monitoring the situation in the region’s five provinces through field personnel of the education and local government departments.

Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said officers of battalions based in towns in Maguindanao located along the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta have been tasked to monitor the level of swamps and rivers in its surroundings.

The often-flooded Liguasan Delta is a catch basin of more than a dozen rivers that spring from mountain ranges in nearby South Cotabato, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Bukidnon provinces.

Classes in elementary, high school and college in Basilan have been suspended since yesterday morning, according to Hataman.

Local executives in the first district of Maguindanao have ordered the suspension of classes in their towns, too, for fear of flashfloods.