CENTRAL Visayas was spared the full wrath of typhoon Pablo after a high pressure area in the South China Sea, near northwestern Luzon, pushed it on a more westerly path.
Signal no. 3 was raised in southern Cebu by the Philippines Astronomical Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
About 4 a.m. Pablo (international codename Bopha) made landfall in Baganga, Davao Orienta packing centerwinds of 175 kph and gusts of up to 210 kph.
At 8 a.m. the typhoon was in the vicinity of Laak, Compostela Valley. It had then weakened to 160 kph core winds and 190 kph gustiness and its ground speed was down to 20 kph from 26 kph.
By 10 to 11 a.m. it was hovering in Malaybalay City in Bukidnon, bringing torrential rain of up to 13.4 mm.
By 12 noon to 1 p.m. the storm was in the vicinity of Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental before exiting to Iligan Bay and the Visayas Sea
Floods were recorded in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City and western Misamis Oriental.
No casualty was so far reported as forced evacuations were implemented, a lesson learned from the catastrophic typhoon Sendong which sturck on Dec.16 and 17, 2011.
At 2 p.m. typhoon Pablo was spotted 60 km south of Tagbilaran city in Bohol province, heading to Siquijor and southern Negros Oriental.
Pagasa Mactan monitored wind speeds up to 100 kph in Santander town at the southernmost tip of Cebu.
In Cebu city, winds reached 50 kph winds, according to Pagasa Mactan chief Oscar Tabada.
By 6 p.m. the eye of the storm had barely touched Zamboangita town in Negros Oriental south of Dumaguete, before exiting to the Sulu Sea.
An earlier forecast had Pablo making landfall 30 km north of Dumaguete./BenCyrus G. Ellorin