Rains threaten to mar Pope’s visit, Pagasa warns

MANILA, Philippines–A tropical cyclone threatening Eastern Visayas later this week—coinciding with the visit of Pope Francis to Leyte—may yet spare the storm-battered region from a direct hit.

But the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said a low pressure area (LPA) spotted about 2,600 kilometers east of Mindanao could develop on Thursday into the country’s first cyclone for the year.

To be named “Amang,” the cyclone’s track showed that Eastern Visayas and the nearby Caraga region may be affected.

Amang comes on the heels of Tropical Storm “Seniang” and Typhoon “Ruby” which devastated the Visayas and Mindanao a couple of weeks apart in December.

The weather bureau’s forecast as of Monday indicated the possibility the cyclone would not hit land in the Visayas or Mindanao, but will curve northward while remaining at sea.

But Pagasa forecasters stressed the weather could change during the week as the LPA approaches the Philippine area of responsibility.

In a special weather outlook for Metro Manila and Tacloban City issued ahead of Pope Francis’ visit, Pagasa warned of rain during the Pontiff’s visits to these two places.

Pagasa said that on Jan. 18 when Pope Francis holds a Mass at Rizal Park, Metro Manila can expect “moderate to heavy rains and moderate to occasionally strong winds” as the tropical cyclone moves closer to the eastern section of southern Luzon.

By Jan. 19, Pagasa said Metro Manila would have light to moderate rains and moderate winds “as the weather disturbance is expected to move north then recurve to the northeast.”

During Pope Francis’ visit on Jan. 17 to Tacloban City and the nearby town of Palo, expect “light to moderate rainshowers, moderate to strong winds and likely thunderstorms” as the expected tropical cyclone moves closer to the area.

By Jan. 18, Leyte will have cloudy skies and by Jan. 19, the area will have generally good weather, Pagasa said.

Meanwhile, it is getting colder in the northern parts of the country, particularly in the upland towns of Benguet province, like Atok which is the highest point in the Philippine highway system.

Tourists endured traffic jams to reach Sitio (settlement) Pungayan in Mt. Sto. Tomas in Tuba town, Benguet, during the Christmas holiday because it was the location for a popular television soap opera.

But only a few tourists were around at Sto. Tomas when the mercury dropped to 7.5 degrees Celsius on Jan. 9, weather observers said.

On Monday, the temperature on that mountain closest to Baguio was 8 degrees, said Rolando Bagorio, weather observer of the Pagasa station there.

Compared to Sto. Tomas, the Baguio temperature was 2 degrees higher.

On Saturday, Baguio recorded the lowest temperature yet this month at 10.6 degrees.–With reports from Gobleth Moulic, Kimberlie Quitasol, Vincent Cabreza and Melvin Gascon, Inquirer Northern Luzon