Rain, floods suspend classes in Cagayan

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya: Classes in all levels in private and public schools were suspended in three provinces in Cagayan Valley (Region 2) on Monday over flooding and continuous rains brought by the northeast monsoon.

Also suspended were classes from pre-school to senior high school in Quirino province as well as in Ilagan City, including the towns of Benito Soliven, Cabagan, Delfin Albano, Echague, San Pablo, Santa Maria, Santo Tomas and Tumauini, all in Isabela.

Dante Balao, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 2 director and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDDRRMC) chairman, said in a memorandum that a total of 325 families or 1,287 individuals were evacuated to Tuguegarao City from the towns of Amulung, Baggao, Gonzaga, Lasam, Santa Teresita and Piat.

Balao added that 17 bridges remained impassable because of swelling rivers while roads were still closed because of flooding and a landslide.

The 17 overflow bridges are in Pinacanauan in Tuguegarao City, Cabasan and Tawi in Peñablanca town and Abusag and Bagunot in Baggao town, all in Cagayan province.

In Isabela, bridges in Alicaocao in Cauayan City, Santa Maria-Cabagan in Santa Maria town, Santo Tomas-Cansan in Santo Tomas town, Gucab and Annafunan in Echague town and Pigalo in Angadanan town and the Cabisera 8 overflow bridge and Bintacan temporary bridge in Ilagan City remained impassable.

In Quirino province, overflow bridges in Manglad and San Pedro in Maddela town, and San Ramos and San Francisco in Aglipay town were also impassable.

The Quirino police provincial office also reported as missing Jerwin Pantaleon, 19, of Barangay San Dionisio II in Nagtipunan town.

Police said Pantaleon was believed to have drowned while crossing the Divinsin River in the village on Sunday at about 10:30 a.m.

The Pinacanuan Na Tuguegarao Avenue in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, and the circumferential road to Baculud Road in Ilagan City, Isabela, are still not passable because of flooding while the national road along the villages of Rapuli and Tangatan in Santa Ana town [Cagayan] were closed to traffic on Monday because of a landslide.

There were 51 stranded boat passengers in Aparri, Cagayan, bound for Calayan and Camiguin islands and six in Sabtang, Batanes, bound for Ivana, also in Batanes.

Philippine Airlines’ Manila-BascoManila flights and Cebu Pacific’s ManilaTugugerao-Manila flights remained canceled on Monday.

The two airlines’ flights have been canceled since November 3.

Near critical level

In Ramon, Isabela, the Magat Dam’s reservoir inflow was at 596 cubic meters per second (CMS), raising its water level to 190.53 meters or 2.47 meters short of its critical and spilling level as of 11 a.m. on Monday.

In Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, the old Buntun Bridge gauging station indicated a water level of 10.22 meters or 1.22 above alert level and 1.78 meters short of its critical level.

Balao said the OCD is continuously monitoring the water level at Magat Dam and Buntun Bridge as well as the situation in the whole region.