Classes suspended in Cagayan due to typhoon Betty

Walang Pasok

TUGUEGARAO CITY — As Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 was raised over some areas of north Luzon due to Typhoon Betty (international name: Mawar), Cagayan acting Gov. Melvin Vargas Jr. on Sunday ordered the suspension of classes on Monday (May 29) to ensure safety of residents in the province.

In his Executive Order No. 2, Vargas, who is in charge while Gov. Manuel Mamba is on an official trip to China, said the suspension would ensure public order, safety, and convenience.

As the province was placed under the “red alert” status, he warned villagers in low-lying areas of coastal towns “to take extra precaution due to high waves and to stay away from the coastlines or beaches.”

Government workers, though, were asked to report for work while frontline service workers would be manning the disaster response.

READ: Typhoon Betty’s trough, southwesterly wind flow to bring rain in parts of PH

Meanwhile, Cagayan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office chief Ruelie Rapsing warned villagers of messages that contain fake information at the height of the typhoon.

A sender, who claimed to be an official of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), allegedly asked that his car be immediately repaired as it will be used for delivery of relief goods.

When the DILG office was contacted, the claim was found out to be a scam as no relief distribution was done. Such activities are delegated by the government to the social welfare department.

“Let us be cautioned of scammers who take situations like calamity to prey on unsusceptible people,” Rapsing said in a Sunday online news briefing.

The DILG is investigating the matter.

READ: Typhoon Betty’s slow down continues; Signal No. 1 over 12 provinces stays

Meanwhile, the two Field Water Purification Vehicles (FWPV) deployed by the Field Water Purification Vehicles (FWPV) will be set up in Lal-lo, Cagayan after it arrived at the Emergency Operations Center of the Office of Civil Defense-Region 2 in this city on Saturday night (May 26).

Civil defense information officer Michael Conag said that Lal-lo can be “considered a strategic location to quickly meet the needs of the people for clean water, especially in the northernmost part of the province.”

This will ensure contamination-free drinking water for communities that will be affected by Betty, he added.

As of Sunday morning, the weather in Isabela and Cagayan remains fair. VILLAMOR VISAYA JR. INQ

READ: Pagasa warns of potential flash floods, landslides across PH