Landslide, brownouts hit Laguna; classes suspended due to bad weather

SAN PABLO CITY, Laguna—Landslide buried a house in San Pablo City and widespread power interruption occurred as a low pressure area unleashed a 24-hour heavy downpour in Laguna and nearby provinces starting Wednesday.

Classes in some private and public elementary and high schools in San Pablo City and Alaminos town were suspended also due to the bad weather.

A weather bulletin on Thursday said the low pressure area has developed into Tropical Depression “Dodong.”

Arvin Carandang of the Philippine National Red Cross, San Pablo City Chapter, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Thursday that at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, heavy rains had weakened the foundation of the hillside house owned by Freddie and Divina Ditausin in Barangay (village) Concepcion here, causing their house, which was undergoing repairs, to collapse.

Carandang said the couple and their four children were able to flee the house just minutes before the building was crushed by the ensuing landslide.

The family is temporarily sheltered at a neighbor’s house, he said.

PNRC is now monitoring the rivers and cautioning people to be on their guard as waters might spill over into their residential areas.

Carandang also told the Inquirer by phone that San Pablo City experienced widespread power outages as rains hit the region from early morning Wednesday until Thursday morning.

Residents in Barangay San Gabriel reported that the power interruption occurred at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday but was restored shortly past midnight, at 12:15 a.m.

Carandang said brownouts occurred in different areas across San Pablo City which lasted from about 30 to 45 minutes.

Chaterine Belludo of Meralco Calamba City, confirmed there were reports of power interruptions in various areas there due to minor power line problems, which were also caused by heavy rains.

But the power outages that started from 11 p.m. Wednesday until 4 a.m. Thursday in many parts of Calamba were scheduled brownouts caused by the relocation of power facilities affected by the ongoing construction of a footbridge along Crossing, Real, Calamba.