‘BISING’ ON WAY OUT
Tropical depression Bising continued to move along the eastern coasts of the country on Saturday, prompting the weather bureau to place the province of Catanduanes under storm Signal No. 1.
State weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio, however, clarified that the rain in Metro Manila during the weekend was not brought by Bising but was caused by the northeast monsoon.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Bising, which is packing 45 kilometers per hour (kph) maximum winds near its center, is seen to maintain its north-northwest movement at 17kph. It is predicted to leave the country today.
People residing in low-lying and mountainous areas in Catanduanes were warned of possible flashfloods and landslides.
Fishing boats and other small vessels are advised not to venture out into the seaboards of northern and central Luzon and over the eastern seaboard of southern Luzon and Visayas.
Today, Bising is expected to be 530km east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan; and barring any change in its course, it will be 720km east of Basco, Batanes by Monday morning.
Pagasa said that the center of the tropical depression was 215km east of Virac, Catanduanes on Saturday.
Meanwhile, over 3,000 families, or some 13,000 people in northeastern Mindanao were displaced because of rains brought by Bising.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that the affected families came from seven towns and two cities in Caraga, Western Mindanao and Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Saranggani and General Santos) regions.
Reports said that 1,880 families, or 7,566 people have been moved to at least 25 evacuation centers.
The Pagmam-an bridge in Brgy. San Jose in Bislig was rendered impassable to all types of vehicles causing the rerouting of buses bound for Bislig and Mangagoy to San Francisco town in Agusan del Sur.
