Aghon exits PAR, leaves 6 dead

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Aghon is forecast to leave the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) by this afternoon and is no longer affecting any part of the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Aghon was monitored 535 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes as of 5 p.m. yesterday. It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 130 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph as it moved northeastward at 30 kph.

PAGASA said Aghon may undergo a short period of intensification but will enter a period of weakening by today. An earlier weakening is not ruled out as it interacts with the mid-latitude environment and undergoes post-tropical transition.

Aghon is unlikely to directly bring a significant amount of rainfall within the next three days.

However, the southwesterly windflow will bring moderate to heavy rains over Western Visayas and the western section of Luzon in the next three days.

The wind flow that is partially influenced by Aghon will also bring occasional gusty conditions over Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, and Aklan and Antique.

The windflow is bringing scattered rainshowers over Ilocos Region, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.

Meanwhile, the frontal system is bringing scattered rains over Batanes, Babuyan Islands and Apayao, while localized thunderstorms may affect Metro Manila and the rest of the country.

PAGASA warned of possible flash floods or landslides during heavy rains.

Despite the rains, the heat index again breached the extreme danger levels in Guiuan, Eastern Samar for the second day in a row.

The heat index reached a sweltering 54 degrees Celsius on Monday, a day after it recorded the highest heat index of 55 degrees Celsius for the year on Sunday.

3 more dead

Three more fatalities have been reported in Quezon province due to the onslaught of Aghon.

According to records gathered by the Quezon Provincial Police Office, two people died in Lucena City – one due to drowning and another after being struck by a fallen tree.

Meanwhile, in the town of Mauban, a 56-year-old café-restaurant caretaker drowned after being trapped by rising flood waters in Barangay Santol.

Also in Mauban, a woman sustained head injuries when she slipped and fell while evacuating her home in Barangay Sadsaran during the typhoon.

In total, six deaths have now been reported in Quezon, including the previously reported fatalities of two individuals struck by fallen trees in Lucena and San Antonio town and an infant who drowned in Pagbilao.

Meanwhile, the local government of Lucena has distributed initial aid to residents in various barangays in the city that were affected by Aghon.

A state of calamity was previously declared in the city during a special session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Marcos vows aid

Before embarking on a two-day state visit to Brunei Darussalam and working visit to Singapore, President Marcos ordered on Tuesday concerned agencies to ensure the immediate recovery and continued assistance to the victims of Typhoon Aghon.

The President directed the Departments of Social Welfare and Development, Agriculture and Health to ensure that all forms of assistance and medical support are extended to Aghon-hit areas.

He also instructed the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation to swiftly deploy personnel for the immediate repair of affected infrastructure and transportation facilities.

Aghon – the first tropical cyclone to hit the country this year – lashed parts of the Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol region, Central and Western and Eastern Visayas, leaving three airports and 29 seaports non-operational, the President said.

Six cities and towns had power outages, and there were 13 flooding incidents and three rain-induced landslides, he added.

“That’s why I continue to task the DSWD, the DA, DOH, to provide assistance to all the victims of Typhoon Aghon. And because the next one is (recovery) – that’s why the DPWH and then the DOTr must be next to the first responder so that the damaged infrastructure can be repaired immediately,” the President said.

Marcos said the DSWD has provided P1.35 million worth of assistance to Aghon-affected residents while a P607.9-million fund is on standby.

Telco services

Leading telecoms firm Globe Telecom said it quickly responded to restore service in parts of Luzon affected by Aghon.

Per Globe’s monitoring, outages affected 12 provinces in Southern Luzon, Bicol and Mimaropa.

As of Monday afternoon, call, text and data services have been fully restored in majority of the affected areas, among them Albay, Batangas, Camarines Norte, Cavite, Marinduque, Masbate, Palawan and Romblon.

Restoration is nearly complete in Camarines Sur, Laguna and Quezon, and underway in Mindoro.

Globe added it is also ready to deploy Libreng Tawag and Libreng Charging stations in storm-hit areas as soon as it is safe to do so.

Cancelled flights

The Manila International Airport Authority announced on Tuesday the cancellation of four domestic flights due to unfavorable weather at destinations.

Local carrier CEBGO announced the cancellations of the following flights: DG 6031/6032 Manila-San Jose-Manila; DG 6113/6114 Manila-Naga-Manila; and DG 6118 Naga-Manila. — Michelle Zoleta, Helen Flores, Rudy Santos, Rainier Allan Ronda, Mark Ernest Villeza