BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—The heat wave being felt in Tuguegarao City has been forcing a number of residents in the Cagayan capital to change the way they dress in exchange for comfort.
“I am not really into wearing bright colors, especially white clothing, because they all the more emphasize my being a dark-skinned Ybanag. But if that will help me beat this heat, then I have to do it,” said tricycle driver Benedict Pamittan, 37.
Marycris Taguiam, 29, said she never let her husband Johnny, a motorcycle mechanic, and two children wear light colors because they easily get soiled.
“That should be the last thing we will ever wear. But now comes the tough decision of heeding the government’s advice to wear light colors or suffer the consequences of this extreme heat,” she said.
College student Arnel Solis said he was thankful for the extreme heat: “If not for this, I would not have discovered that I look good in a white shirt.”
Rising temperature
Since last month, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has come out with regular bulletins reminding residents of ways, which include wearing light-colored garments, to fight off the heat and avoid getting sick.
This after Tuguegarao and the rest of Cagayan started to post extreme temperatures over the past weeks, with averages of 37 degrees Celsius and heat index (the temperature that the body feels) of at least 40 degrees.
The city recorded its highest temperature this year with 38.4 degrees and a heat index of 42 degrees at 4:05 p.m. on May 2, said Romeo Ganal Jr., weather observer at Pagasa’s Northern Luzon regional services division in Tuguegarao.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, temperature in the city was 36.5 degrees.
Even long-time residents there attest that the heat these days was “extraordinary.”
“We hear a lot of people getting hypertensive because it is too hot. Almost no one can really endure to stay under the sun,” said education supervisor Jose Matammu.
To beat the heat, people would rather hang out in the city’s air-conditioned malls and eat ice candy or “halo-halo,” said radio broadcaster Pablito Mamauag. Some have also turned to selling “dirty ice cream” (ice cream sold in carts) due to the high demand, he said.
Even Baguio City, the country’s summer capital, has been reeling.
On Thursday, the mercury rose to 26.4 degrees, the hottest recorded yet this year, said Aljon Tamondong, weather observer at the Pagasa Baguio station. The same reading was recorded on May 9 but it dropped to 25 degrees the following week.
Residents woke up to a temperature of 16.5 degrees on Thursday but it peaked at 26.4 degrees between noon and 2 p.m.
With rains expected in northern Luzon in the next few days, Tamondong said the maximum temperature in the city would drop to between 24 and 25 degrees.
San Roque dam
In Pangasinan, water level at the San Roque dam in San Manuel town remains normal, according to an official of the National Power Corp. (Napocor).
As of 6 a.m. on Thursday, the dam’s water elevation was 239.65 meters above sea level (masl), said Virgilio Garcia, chief of Napocor’s Agno River Flood Forecasting and Warning System. The dam has a normal high water level of 280 masl, but this can reach 290 masl for its flood control component.
Garcia said the water level was still enough for power generation and irrigation.
Nestor Batalla, assistant provincial agriculturist, said the extreme heat had not affected farmers in the province. They have already harvested their crops, he said.
Farmers who planted corn for the second cropping season used pumps to water their plants, Batalla said.
The hottest temperature recorded this year in Pangasinan was 37.5 degrees Celsius on May 17, the Pagasa station said.
Virginia Bracia, weather specialist, warned residents to brace for a higher temperature until the end of summer or the first week of June.
Heat and wind have also contributed to the outbreak of grass and forest fires, said Leduina Co, provincial environment and natural resources officer.
Some 200 hectares of forest land in eight towns—Sual, Mabini, Mangatarem, Bugallon, Aguilar, Natividad, San Quintin and San Nicolas—have been hit by fires since January, Co said.
Health officer Anna de Guzman advised beach goers to be careful and to drink lots of water.
“If you really want to go to the beach, stay in shaded areas or avoid the water from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the sun is at its hottest. Also, the sand can be very hot during that time so the heat comes from above and below,” she said.
People should use Sunblock lotion, umbrellas and hats, De Guzman said.
In Nueva Ecija province, Juanita Fajardo, who works for a private firm in Cabanatuan City, makes sure she uses light colored clothes every time she reports for work to lessen the effect of heat.
Other residents go to the malls, especially if the heat becomes unbearable. “We don’t spend much in malls, we just buy snacks and stroll,” said a resident, who wanted to be identified only as Marivic.
Water elevation at the Pantabangan Dam in the province was recorded at 179 masl on Thursday, a few meters above its critical level of 171 masl. With reports from Gobleth Moulic, Gabriel Cardinoza and Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon; and Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon