'Lawin' becomes super typhoon

MANILA, Philippines - Typhoon “Lawin” (international name Jelawat) intensified into a super typhoon yesterday but is still not expected to make landfall in any part of the country, the state weather bureau said.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the eye of Lawin was spotted at 375 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes, with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 220 kph.

Lawin was forecast to move north-northwest slowly at nine kph.

The Hawaii-based Joint Taiwan Warning Center upgraded Lawin further to category 4 (super typhoon). Super typhoon, however, is not an official category used by the local weather agency, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). PAGASA lifted yesterday morning public storm warning signals in the country.

But PAGASA continued to advise residents in the Visayas and Mindanao to brace for moderate to heavy rains due to the southwest monsoon, which is being enhanced by the typhoon.

It said Lawin could dump 10 to 20 millimeters per hour of rain (heavy to intense) within its 700-km radius.

“Fishing boats and other small sea craft are advised not to venture out into the eastern seaboards of Luzon, and the seaboards of the Visayas and Mindanao due to big waves generated by the typhoon,” PAGASA said.

Lawin is expected to be 640 km east of Infanta, Quezon this morning; 530 km east of Tuguegarao City tomorrow morning; and 430 km east of Calayan Island by Thursday morning.

2 dead, 1 missing

Meanwhile, officials yesterday said two persons died and another was reported missing due to the bad weather spawned by Lawin.

Reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and its field units showed that the fatalities were from Cebu and Zamboanga City.

NDRRMC said a certain Jessie Ehem Sam, 31, of Bogo City, Cebu was hit by lightning while picking shells along the shores of Barangay San Vicente last Friday. The victim died en route to Severo Verallo Memorial Hospital.

Police Senior Superintendent James Mejia, director of Zamboanga City Police, said a five year-old boy died yesterday morning after being hit by a fallen tree in Barangay Labuan in Zamboanga City.

Barangay Labuan chairman Oning Maravilla identified the fatality as Mark Anthony Mallari, who was sleeping with his family when the incident happened. With Helen Flores, Alexis Romero, Roel Pareño