STILL reeling from the effects of typhoons “Ferdie” and “Gener,” Batanes must brace for another tropical storm that enters the Philippine area of responsibility Saturday.
Danilo Bonabon, National Food Authority director for the National Capital Region, said some 6,000 bags of rice are loaded on a vessel bound for Batanes to augment its current rice stocks and the NFA office in the province is preparing to distribute them.
Forecaster Salvador Javier, said the weather bureau is monitoring another storm (internationally named “Megi’’) forecast to hit extreme Northern Luzon, particularly the province of Batanes, and spawn light to moderate rain or moderate to heavy rain “depending on the height of its upward direction.”
“The storm is moving on the same track as that of ‘Gener.’ It is moving very fast,” he told the Manila Standard.
The eye of Megi was located at 1,975 kilometers east of Central Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 85 kph.
Megi was seen moving west northwest at 25 kph.
Once it enters the PAR, “Megi’’ would be named “Helen” and may develop into a tropical typhoon.
“Helen will enhance the southwest monsoon to trigger rains and affect the whole of Luzon, including Metro Manila, and the eastern part of the Visayas,” Javier said.
On the other hand, Mindanao will have fair weather, he added.
Javier clarified that isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms in several parts of the National Capital region had nothing to do with the weather disturbance outside the PAR.
Currently, NFA Batanes Unit Office has 5,768 bags of rice that will last for 55 days.
The office is closely coordinating with local government units in the area on continuous rice releases. It encouraged accredited retailers from Itbayat and Sabang Islands to increase their purchases of NFA rice to ensure availability of quality, low-priced rice especially during typhoons.
NFA rice is sold at P27 per kilogram for regular-milled and P32 per kilogram for well-milled.