At least 4,000 families, or roughly 13,000 individuals, across three regions have been affected by the effects of the southwest monsoon, according to Office of Civil Defense (OCD) officer-in-charge Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV.
“There were only partial damages to houses, and about five road sections were closed,” Alejandro said, noting that the most visible impacts so far were the suspension of classes and work. He also confirmed that no casualties have been reported.
In Itogon, Benguet, at least 13 families were evacuated by the local government after a landslide triggered by continuous rainfall. In Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, the OCD distributed food packs to 235 families affected by flooding.
As of 4 p.m. Sunday, typhoon "Bising" was located 335 kilometers west-northwest of Itbayat, Batanes, and remained outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). It was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h and gusts of up to 160 km/h, moving northeastward.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration weather specialist Veronica Torres said the typhoon’s trough is bringing scattered rains and cloudy skies over Batanes and the Babuyan Islands. Signal No. 1 was raised over Batanes as of the latest advisory.
Moderate to heavy rainfall, ranging from 50 to 100 millimeters, is expected over the Ilocos Region, Zambales, and Bataan through Monday afternoon. A gale warning remains in effect over the seaboards of Batanes, with wave heights of 3.1 to 4.5 meters. Moderate to rough seas are also expected along the western seaboards of Northern Luzon.