More heavy rain in Visayas, Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines (Updated) – Local government units in Visayas and Mindanao were advised to prepare for possible flashfloods and landslides as a low pressure area continues to bring moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms to the area.

As of 4am Sunday, the low pressure area was spotted 200 kilometers southeast of General Santos City (5.1ºN, 126.9ºE). 

The system will continue bringing heavy rain along eastern, central, and northern Mindanao, the eastern and central areas of the Visayas, and southern Bicol, meteorological site Weather Philippines said.

State weather bureau PAGASA will issue a regular advisory on the LPA every 6 hours until the threat is ruled out. 

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario Montejo asked affected residents not to take any chances in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which left over 6,000 dead and one million families without a home. 

“Let us learn from typhoon Yolanda. It is necessary for everyone to prepare and take caution whenever warned about hazards like flashfloods and landslides to achieve our target of zero casualties and minimal damage. Let us always be vigilant,” Montejo said in a statement Saturday, January 11. 

The heavy downpour brought by the LPA has already caused flooding in parts of Mindanao, forcing at least 481 families in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte to evacuate.  

The CARAGA region was also affected, ABS-CBN News reported. It took authorities 18 hours to clear a road in Carmen, Agusan del Norte, after it was swallowed by a landslide, according to the report. 

Cancelled flights

As of 1 pm Sunday, the following domestic flights have been cancelled: 

Cebu Pacific Air 

• 5J-781/782 Manila-Ozamiz-Manila
• 5J-625/626 Manila-Dumaguete-Manila
• 5J-397/398 Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
• 5J-767/768 Manila-Surigao-Manila

Philippine Airlines Express (PALex)

• 2P-519/520 & 2P-021/022 Manila-Masbate-Manila
• 2P-5962/5968 Manila-Butuan-Manila
• 2P-967/968 Manila-Butuan-Manila
• 2P-065/066 Manila-Surigao-Manila

Local airlines also cancelled flights to 9 areas on Saturday, January 11, due to bad weather.

Flights to the Camiguin airport had to be grounded after the runway was flooded due to heavy rains, an ANC report said. 

Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon continues to affect weather in Luzon, bringing cloudy skies with light rains in the regions of Cagayan Valley, Bicol and the provinces of Aurora and Quezon.  

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated light rains. – Rappler.com