A LOW pressure area (LPA) intensified into a tropical depression yesterday morning, about 14 hours after entering into the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), and may make landfall in northern Luzon on Friday.
The northern portion of Catanduanes was placed under wind Signal No. 1, based on a bulletin issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) at 5 p.m. yesterday.
PAGASA said the LPA became a tropical depression at around 8 a.m. and was given the name “Paolo,” the country’s 16th tropical cyclone for this year. It entered PAR at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“On the forecast track, Paolo may make landfall over Isabela or northern Aurora on Friday morning or afternoon,” PAGASA said.
PAGASA said Paolo will continue to intensify and may become a severe tropical storm on Friday morning.
“Further intensification into a typhoon prior to landfall is not ruled out,” PAGASA nevertheless said.
Paolo is forecast to exit the PAR on Saturday morning.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Paolo was some 665 km east of Virac, Catanduanes, PAGASA said. It was moving west northwestward at 25 kph, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph.
Paolo is forecast to bring rains to many areas in Luzon starting today. These are Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Apayao, Abra, Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, and Bataan.
The country’s last tropical cyclone, typhoon “Opong,” left at least 37 people dead, mostly in Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured farmers and other agricultural workers in Masbate and other areas hit by Opong of government’s support, from cash aid to seedlings and other needed aid to help them recover.
The President, in an ambush interview on the sidelines of his visit to Masbate, said the damage in the province was overwhelming.
Marcos recognized that the Masbate had yet to recover from the effects of previous typhoons such as “Emong” but it was again hit by Opong.
Marcos led the distribution of over P100 million worth of food packs and cash aid to communities affected by Opong.
He said that before he left Manila for the Masbate visit, he directed the Department of Budget and Management to release P100 million to Masbate’s Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) for the province’s rehabilitation effort and in response to the request of Gov. Richard Kho.
The President also oversaw the turnover of P28 million from the Department of Labor and Employment for the implementation of the agency’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program in the province and the P10,000 cash aid under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that benefitted 600 families. – With Jocelyn Reyes
