By el Amigo
MANILA, Philippines — The Southwest Monsoon or habagat continues to bring widespread rains over parts of Luzon on Thursday, prompting several local government units to suspend face-to-face classes and shift to alternative learning arrangements as authorities warn of possible flooding and landslides.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), in its 5 a.m. Weather Advisory No. 74, said areas in northern and western Luzon could receive 50 to 100 millimeters of rain throughout the day. These include Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales and Bataan. PAGASA warned that localized flooding is possible, particularly in urbanized and low-lying areas and communities near rivers.
The weather bureau also warned of possible landslides in highly susceptible areas, noting that the effects could be aggravated by rainfall accumulated in previous days. Residents in flood- and landslide-prone communities were urged to remain alert and closely monitor advisories from local disaster risk reduction offices.
The weather disturbance is also being influenced by Tropical Depression Neneng, which was located north of Batanes early Thursday and was moving west-northwestward. PAGASA said the southwest monsoon could bring strong to gale-force wind gusts over most of Luzon and several other parts of the country.
Classes suspended in several areas
The persistent rains have prompted a growing number of local governments to suspend classes or order schools to shift to alternative learning modes.
For Thursday, Biñan City in Laguna suspended classes at all levels in public and private schools and shifted to alternative learning modes. Several municipalities in Pampanga also announced suspensions, including Macabebe, San Simon, Sto. Tomas, Mexico, Bacolor and Candaba.
In Pangasinan, class suspensions were announced in Aguilar, Basista, Bugallon and Infanta, with some local governments directing schools to use alternative modes of learning instead of face-to-face instruction.
The suspensions are intended to protect students, teachers and school personnel from risks associated with heavy rainfall, flooding, difficult road conditions and possible landslides.
The University of Santo Tomas in Manila, meanwhile, announced that classes would be conducted through its Enriched Virtual Mode of Instruction on Thursday.
Authorities reminded parents and students that suspension announcements may differ from one locality to another. They were advised to monitor official announcements from their respective city or municipal governments, schools and disaster risk reduction offices before leaving home.
PAGASA also cautioned that heavy rainfall and strong winds may affect areas outside the immediate path of Neneng, particularly because of the enhanced southwest monsoon.
With rains expected to persist, residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas were urged to prepare for possible sudden rises in water levels and to avoid crossing flooded roads and waterways.
elamigo/xf
