TOPPLED Only the stump of Legazpi City’s “centennial tree,” an acacia on Rizal Street, remains on Wednesday after it was toppled by strong winds that hit Bicol region this week. —MARK ALVIC ESPLANA
LEGAZPI CITY—A local landmark known by residents as a “centennial tree” beside the City Hall compound in this provincial capital of Albay was uprooted early Wednesday due to heavy rains and strong winds spawned by the shear line that has affected the Bicol region since Monday.
Miladee Azur, head of the city disaster risk reduction and management office, said the acacia tree branches damaged a closed-circuit television unit, a car parked near it, some tents being used by the city health office and stores nearby, electric posts and telecommunication wires.
Azur, citing security camera footage, said the tree was toppled at 5:28 a.m., covering the road at the left portion of the City Hall.
Personnel of the city government and the Department of Public Works and Highways were deployed for clearing operations. By Wednesday afternoon, the branches and trunk of the tree were cut up and piled by the roadside. These will be turned into tables and chairs for city government offices.
Former Mayor Noel Rosal said they were uncertain if the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had records certifying the tree as “centennial.”
“But there’s a big possibility [that it is century-old] because the tree is really old and possibly it’s been there since the 1920s,” Rosal said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Suspension of classes
The bad weather also prompted officials in Camarines Norte to extend the suspension of in-person classes in some towns on Wednesday.
Local governments suspended classes in all levels in public and private schools in the towns of Daet, Basud, Mercedes, Talisay, Vinzons, Paracale, Labo and Capalonga.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ricarte Padilla suspended classes in the province but later advised local officials to declare localized orders depending on the situation in their area.
Classes in all levels in public and private schools in Albay resumed on Wednesday.
In Quezon province, Calauag and Guinayangan towns also suspended in-person classes in public and private schools on Wednesday.
The Philippine Coast Guard suspended sea travel on Wednesday for small vessels in some parts of Bicol due to rough sea conditions.