Cebu, Bohol residents face possible floods, landslides

After Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao, provinces in Central Visayas may be the next to suffer by flash floods and landslides due to heavy rains, state weather forecasters said Monday evening.

The forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) prompted the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to order heads of disaster management councils nationwide to take precautionary measures.

"You are hereby directed to undertake monitoring of precautionary measures in your area of responsibility. Likewise, the public and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils are advised to take appropriate actions," NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos said in an advisory.

Ramos noted that aside from the threat of floods and landslides, fishermen in Luzon, Visayas and Northern and Eastern Mindanao may risk encountering big waves. He ordered the disaster management bodies to disseminate the weather advisories through media, including community radio stations, and conduct press briefings.

“Let us untiringly aim for zero casualties," he said.

Northeast monsoon

PAGASA’s 5 p.m. bulletin said the northeast monsoon is prevailing over Luzon while the tail-end of a cold front is affecting Visayas and Mindanao.

“Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over Leyte and Negros provinces, Bohol, Cebu, and Mindanao which may trigger flashfloods and landslides. The rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with light rains," it said.

It said moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over the whole country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough.

P22.2M for flood-hit areas

In Malacañang, President Benigno Aquino III said the Department of Social Welfare and Development has pre-positioned P22.2 million worth of standby funds.

In his Facebook account, Aquino said the amount includes food and non-food items in the concerned field offices, broken down as follows: P3.9 million (17.83 percent) in CARAGA, P16.8 million (76 percent) in Bicol, and P1.37 million (6.17 percent) in Eastern Visayas. - KBK/HS, GMANews.TV