Cyclone off Pacific Ocean rapidly intensifies into severe tropical storm

BY ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Severe tropical storm Mawar could become a typhoon within 24 hours.
• The storm, which was moving north-northwestward at 10 kph as of Sunday afternoon, will be given the local name “Betty” once inside PAR.
• Mawar’s enhancement of the southwesterly surface wind flow could lead to the start of the rainy season in the country this weekend.

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The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the tropical cyclone over the Pacific Ocean strengthened into a severe tropical storm on Sunday afternoon, May 21, and is expected to intensify into a typhoon within 24 hours.

The severe tropical storm with international name Mawar now has maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 125 kph, up from 85 kph maximum sustained winds and gusts of up to 105 kph.

According to PAGASA weather specialist Veronica Torres, Mawar could become a typhoon within 24 hours.

A typhoon has maximum sustained winds of 118 to 184 kph.

Torres pointed out that Mawar is still seen to enter the Philippine area of responsibility later this week.

The storm, which was moving north-northwestward at 10 kph as of Sunday afternoon, will be given the local name “Betty” once inside PAR.

Torres said the weather disturbance has no direct impact on the Philippines yet but it may enhance the southwesterly surface wind flow, which will bring rains to several areas in the western section of the country in the coming days.

In the next 24 hours, scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may affect Palawan, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula.

Residents in these areas have been warned of the possibility of flash floods or landslides due to moderate to heavy rains.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the southwesterly wind flow and localized thunderstorms.

It advised the public to exercise caution during severe thunderstorms, as these may also trigger landslides or flash floods, especially in areas that are vulnerable to these hazards.

In its public forecast on Sunday morning, PAGASA weather specialist Patrick del Mundo said Mawar’s enhancement of the southwesterly surface wind flow could lead to the start of the rainy season in the country this weekend.

Fire hits Manila Central Post Office

BY JALEEN RAMOS

May 22, 2023 06:13 AM

  

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The Manila Central Post Office in Lawton, Manila was hit by a massive fire on Sunday night, May 22.

Photo courtesy of BFP/ MANILA BULLETIN

The fire, which started at 11:41 p.m., quickly escalated and reached the second alarm at 12:28 a.m., according to the Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP). Subsequently, the third, fourth, and fifth alarms were raised at 02:17 a.m, 4:28 a.m., and 4:32 a.m., respectively.

The fire continued to intensify, leading to the declaration of Task Force Alpha status at 4:36 a.m., Task Force Bravo at 4:45 a.m., Task Force Charlie at 5:02 a.m., and Task Force Delta at 5:25 a.m.

As of 5:54 a.m., the fire remains at a General Alarm level.

Efforts to control the fire are ongoing.

This is a developing story.

Filipina golfers play for bragging rights in 1st LPGT PH Masters

 

Harmie Constantino (left) and Daniella Uy

MANILA, Philippines – More than the crown, bragging rights will be on the line when the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour stages the inaugural ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters on May 24-26 at the Villamor Golf Club in Pasay City.

Harmie Constantino and Daniella Uy headline the compact field all primed for a three-day duel of ball control and putting in pursuit of the championship in an esteemed event that used to serve as one of the men’s tour versions of four major championships.

It will be held side-by-side with the 72-hole men's championship featuring the cream of the country's pro crop.

Constantino and Uy figured in a sudden death in the last LPGT stop at Luisita with the former edging the latter to cap her fightback from four shots down in regulation and nail her fifth victory in a three-year pro career.

“Hopefully, I’ll play another good round at Villamor,” said Constantino.

But while she is ready for another title crack on a course she calls home, Uy and the rest of the 21-player cast are going all-out to stop the former national champion from reigning again at the quaint military layout kept in championship form year-round.

Constantino likewise ruled the first ICTSI Villamor Match Play Invitational last year, also via playoff over top amateur Rianne Malixi, making her the marked player in the upcoming P1 million event serving as fifth leg of this year’s LPGT organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Marvi Monsalve, for one, is back in the hunt, upbeat of her chances for a breakthrough following a stint in the Thailand LPGA Tour while Sarah Ababa is likewise pleased of her ever-improving game with top five finishes in the first four tournaments, including a runner-up finish in Bacolod last March and a third place effort at Caliraya Springs.

Meanwhile, a slew of others are keen on bouncing back, including Uy, reigning Order of Merit winner Chihiro Ikeda, Pamela Mariano and Korean Kim Seoyun, while the likes of Gretchen Villacencio, Kristine Fleetwood, Florence Bisera, Lovelynn Guioguio, Lucy Landicho, Eva Minoza, Apple Fudolin, Rev Alcantara, Majorie Pulumbarit, Monica Mandario and Korean Yan Juyoung are all ready for a big surprise at the long, tight Villamor layout.

Spicing up the title chase are national team mainstay Mafy Singson and fellow amateur Nam Eunhua and Lee Jiwon of Korea.

Microplastics found in Laguna de Bay

Laguna Lake. File Photo

By Aric John Sy Cua

A HIGH concentration of microplastics was found in Laguna de Bay, the country's largest lake, with the highest recorded on the side that is facing Metro Manila, according to two scientists who made a study on the matter.

In a joint video interview with The Manila Times, Prof. Cris Gel Loui Arcadio and Dr. Hernando Bacosa, Mindanao State University (MSU) scientists, said they have analyzed the waters at the 900-square-kilometer lake for microplastics, as their presence could lead to harmful effects on humans and marine life.

The Laguna de Bay is a main source of water for Metro Manila. It stretches over the provinces of Rizal and Laguna. In the vicinity are Manila, Quezon City and San Pablo. Laguna de Bay is fed by 21 rivers, with a catchment area of about 3.820 sq km.

"We were able to extract 100 microplastics," Arcadio, who authored a study, conducted in February of last year, said. "We examined the morphological characteristics of it, and the majority of the microplastics that were found in Laguna Lake were fibers and they were all blue colors."

In that study that was funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program, it showed that the West Bay of the lake, which is the Metro Manila side, has the "highest concentration of microplastics, with an average of 20 microplastics per cubic meter, compared to the Central, East, and South Bays of the lake, which all registered 10 microplastics per cubic meter."

"Microplastics were ubiquitously detected in all sites with the concentration highest in areas of the lake characterized by intensive human activities such as but not limited to household discharges, effluents from chemical industries, and intensification of economic activities," the study said.

Effects on human health

In the same interview, Bacosa said that once microplastics enter the human body, this could cause oxidative stress in the cells.

"When the cells are stressed, they cannot function normally and they cannot actually detoxify," he said. "That could lead to inflammation in the long run and abnormal functions of our organs."

Red tide warning up in 5 coastal areas

By Janine Alexis Miguel

HARVESTING and selling shellfish in five coastal areas in the Philippines have been prohibited after its waters tested positive for a paralytic toxin that causes red tide.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported on Wednesday that water samples gathered from Daquis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol, San Pedro Bay in Samar, Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur, and Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur have tested positive for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) or toxic red tide.

BFAR added that shellfish and acetes shrimp or "alamang" collected from the said areas are not safe for human consumption. Clams, cockles, oyster, mussels and scallops collected from these areas are also unsafe to eat.

The fisheries bureau also said that shellfish are particularly prone to toxin contamination as they feed by filtering microscopic food out of the water.

"Fish, squids, shrimps, and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking," BFAR said.

Based on the BFAR's administrative order on safety and quality control standards for PSP, the maximum regulatory limit of toxins is 60 micrograms for every 100 grams of shellfish meat for both domestic and foreign markets.

BFAR also released a warning that eating shellfish from red tide areas could cause headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, tingling sensation on lips and tongue, and in extreme cases, death.

Possible supertyphoon might enter PAR by May 26; PAGASA to call it 'Betty'

James Relativo - Philstar.com

According to DOST-PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja, the tropical cyclone was observed 2,510 kilometers east of Mindanao at around 3 a.m. this Saturday within the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone.

MANILA, Philippines — State weather bureau PAGASA is currently monitoring a tropical depression east of Mindanao, one that could possibly enter the Philippine area of responsibility next week.

According to DOST-PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja, the tropical cyclone was observed 2,510 kilometers east of Mindanao at around 3 a.m. on Saturday within the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Maximum winds: 45 kilometers per hour near the center

Gust: up to 55 kilometers per hour

Movement: northward 

Speed: 20 kilometers per hour

"A former low pressure area outside [PAR] has now officially transitioned into a tropical cyclone... We expect that it will continue to strengthen in the coming days while in the middle of the ocean," said Estareja in Filipino during PAGASA's morning forecast.

"We also do not discount the possibility of it its further intensification into a typhoon or supertyphoon."

Meteorologists see the tropical cyclone moving north northwest by Sunday and finally earn an international name once it further intensify into a tropical storm.

In its present track, the tropical depression could possibly be within the vicinity of Guam anywhere from Sunday to Wednesday.

"This tropical depression, which could further strengthen, might enter [PAR] if it continues moving northwest by Friday or Saturday next week... Should this happen, we will give it the name 'Betty' or the second tropical cyclone for 2023, the first for the month of May," Estareja said.

"[If] this tropical depression continues with this track though, the possibility of it making landfall would be low. However, what we should monitor is its intensification of Habagat or the southwest monsoon affecting a large part of the country next week," he added.

The Philippines is continually experiencing rains still because of the ITCZ.

The country is expected to officially transition to the rainy season in the last days of May or early June starting next week.

Tropical storm Mawar may enter PH area of responsibility by Friday or Saturday

BY ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

May 21, 2023 09:32 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• The storm, with an international name Mawar, was last spotted 2,520 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao around 3 a.m., Sunday, May 21.
• It will be locally named “Betty” once inside PAR.
• The strengthening of the southwesterly winds caused by the storm could lead to the start of the rainy season in the country this weekend.

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The tropical storm over the Pacific Ocean may enter the country’s area of responsibility (PAR) by Friday or Saturday, May 26 or 27, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

In its public weather forecast on Sunday, May 21, PAGASA weather specialist Patrick Del Mundo said the storm, with an international name Mawar, was last spotted 2,520 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao around 3 a.m.

It will be locally named “Betty” once inside PAR, Del Mundo said.

As of Sunday, Mawar has maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kph, and may reach the severe tropical storm category within 24 hours.

Del Mundo said the storm has no direct effect on the Philippines yet, but it is pulling winds from the southwest or the southwesterly surface wind flow, resulting in partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms over parts of the country.

“Although it will enter PAR, there is still a low chance of it making landfall in any part of the country. But it still continues to pull the southwesterly surface wind flow that may affect the western part of the country, particularly Palawan, Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula later this week. These areas may experience rains caused by the southwesterly surface wind flow and the ITCZ,” he said in Filipino.

Del Mundo pointed out that the strengthening of the southwesterly winds caused by the storm could lead to the start of the rainy season in the country this weekend.

10 RARE Animals Only Found in the Philippines 🇵🇭

2,402,436 views May 1, 2021 #Wildlife

The Philippines is a beautiful archipelago nation made up of 7,641 islands with many beautiful beaches, delicious fruits, and incredible wildlife. In fact, the Philippines is home to some of the most exotic and rarest species on Earth! Here are 10 animals you will only ever find in the Philippines. UPDATE: Upon the success of this video, we have made a second version! Watch Part 2 here:    • 10 RARE Animals O...   Watch our videos incognito👤 using a VPN👇 ➡️ http://top10daily.link/FastestVPN (Affiliate link) ❓VPN❓ A virtual private network (VPN) allows you to have online privacy and anonymity by creating private networks from a public internet connection. FastestVPN, available for desktop and mobile devices, is specially built with advanced protocols and 256-Bit AES encryption ⛓️ which secures you on public Wi-Fi networks, clears cookies, and commendably protects your identity. It works as the best and most efficient solution for anonymity, privacy, and security.

PAL int'l flights to use NAIA Terminal 1

BY EMMIE V. ABADILLA

May 19, 2023 04:57 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Starting June 16, 2023, all Philippine Airlines (PAL) international flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 will depart from and arrive at Terminal 1, according to the flag carrier's latest advisory issued on Friday, May 19.

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Starting June 16, 2023, all Philippine Airlines (PAL) international flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 will depart from and arrive at Terminal 1, according to the flag carrier's latest advisory issued on Friday, May 19.

These include PAL's flights to and from Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Busan, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Tokyo (Haneda), Hong Kong, Jakarta, Jinjiang, Osaka (Kansai), Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Melbourne, Nagoya, Tokyo (Narita), Perth, Port Moresby, Seoul (Incheon), Shanghai, Sydney, Taipei and Xiamen.

The transfer of all PAL internationals flights to NAIA Terminal 1 is part of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) terminal reassignment initiative to ease passenger congestion at all terminals.

The flag carrier advises passengers to check the terminal assigned to their flights before proceeding to the airport, to ensure hassle-free departure and arrival.

Shuttle buses between Terminals 1 and 2 will be available for passengers with connecting flights in the other terminal.

Starting June 16, 2023, all PAL international flights will depart and arrive at T1 – NAIA Terminal 1 while all PAL domestic flights will depart and arrive at T2 – NAIA Terminal 2 (North Wing).

However, until June 15, 2023, all PAL international flights except flights to the United States and Guam, Toronto, Vancouver, Doha, Dubai, Riyadh, Dammam, Bali, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Phnom Penh, and Singapore will depart from NAIA Terminal 2.

All PAL international flights, except flights to the United States and Guam, Toronto, Vancouver, Doha, Dubai, Riyadh, Dammam, Bali, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Phnom Penh, and Singapore will arrive at NAIA Terminal 2.

Flights departing from Seoul (PR 469), Busan (PR 419) and Taipei (PR 895) on June 15 will arrive at Terminal 1.

Rainy season may start end of May or early June — PAGASA

BY CHARIE MAE F. ABARCA

May 20, 2023 10:24 AM

  

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The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Saturday, May 20, said the rainy season is near.

(Jansen Romero / Manila Bulletin File Photo)

PAGASA Weather Specialist Benison Estareja, in a public weather forecast on Saturday, said the rainy season may be declared at the end of May or early June.

“Sa mga nagtatanong kung posible na bang magsimula ang tag-ulan anytime, ang sagot po natin d’yan ay posible itong magsimula sometime sa mga huling araw ng Mayo – maaaring later next week – hanggang sa mga unang araw ng Hunyo (To those who are asking if it is possible for the rainy season to start anytime, our answer is that it is possible to start sometime in the last days of May – maybe later next week – until the first days of June),” said Estareja.

The onset of the rainy season will be declared once PAGASA’s criteria are observed and satisfied. These include the following: at least seven stations or 50 percent of monitoring stations must record a five-day period with a total rainfall of 25 mm or more and at least one mm rainfall for three consecutive days. In addition, prevailing winds should have westerly components over the western Philippines as this relates to the development of rainfall-causing weather patterns according to the state weather bureau.

Prevailing weather systems

Estareja, in the same weather forecast, said they are currently monitoring two weather systems. One of these two is the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) causing cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM, and Palawan.

The other weather system is a tropical depression outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR). It was last spotted 2,510 kilometers (km) east of Mindanao with maximum sustained winds of 45 kph and gustiness of 55 kph.

According to Estareja, if the weather disturbance continues to move northwestward, it may enter PAR by Friday or Saturday next week. It will be given the domestic name Betty.

“If this track continues, the odds are low that it will hit the Philippine landmass. But what we should monitor is the enhancement of the southwest monsoon next week,” he added in a mix of English and Filipino.