Signal No. 3 has been raised over Zambales

'Cosme' brings travel woes in Luzon

Aside from strong winds and heavy rains, tropical storm Cosme (international code name Halong) also brought travel woes to hundreds of travelers in the affected areas.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has closed down Kennon Road to all vehicular traffic as of 6 p.m. Saturday.

The closure of one of the region's major roads was prompted by continuous heavy downpour in the area. The scenic and historic road to Baguio City is known to experience landslides in many portions during heavy downpours.

Coast Guard cancels trips of light vessels in Batangas, Manila Bay

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Batangas has suspended all trips of light sea craft plying the route between Batangas port and Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro as of 4 p.m. Saturday.

All trips by similar-sized sea crafts within Manila Bay area has also been cancelled by the PCG.

However, large passenger ships and roll-on, roll-off (RO-RO) ships are still operating normally.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) in its 5 p.m. bulletin said that the western seaboards of Southern Luzon And Visayas could experience wind force

of 55-75 kph or 30-40 knots and forecast the seas to be rough to very rough with wave heights of 3.7 - 6.5 meters

PAGASA also advised fishing boats and other small sea crafts not to venture out into the sea while bigger sea crafts are alerted against moderate to high waves.

Accidents reported

Several accidents related to the typhoon have already been reported in several areas.

A truck loaded with 15-tons of plywood had a tire explosion while plying the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) going to San Fernando, Pampanga early Saturday.

Due to the rain-drenched road, the vehicle slid and bumped on a concrete barrier.

No one was hurt, but the accident caused heavy traffic for three hours.

NLEX's traffic mobile service admitted a number of vehicular accidents were noted at the expressway especially during rainy days.

Motorists are advised to check on their vehicles and tools first before travelling.

In Subic, Zambales, several small fishing boats have been damaged by the strong waves, while in San Felipe a truck turned turtle after the driver lost control of the vehicle while driving on a slippery road.

Signal No. 3 over six provinces

The Philippine’s weather bureau on Saturday hoisted public storm warning signal no. 3 over six provinces in Luzon as Cosme made landfall over western Pangasinan Saturday.

In its 5:30 p.m. update the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) reported Cosme has changed its direction a bit and has made landfall over western Pangasinan, after it was first expected to hit land over Ilocos Sur.

Public Storm Warning Signal No. 3 has been raised over Zambales, Pangasinan, Tarlac, La Union, Benguet, and Ilocos Sur.

Storm Signal No. 2 was raised over Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Apayao, Abra, and Ilocos Norte.

Storm Signal No. 1 was hoisted over Lubang Island, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Northern Quezon, Isabela, Cagayan, Calayan Island, the Babuyan Group of Islands, Batanes and Metro Manila. With a report from Dhobie de Guzman, ABS-CBN

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'Cosme' pounds Central, Northern Luzon; hundreds evacuated

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) on Saturday evening said that hundreds of families are currently in evacuation centers in Zambales, while large swathes of Pangasinan are left in the dark after tropical storm Cosme (international code name Halong) slammed through Central and Northern Luzon Saturday.

A report released by the NDCC 10 p.m. Saturday stated that a total of 199 families (780 people) were affected in Zambales due to storm surges in Botolan and Iba towns, and are currently in evacuation centers. Ten houses in Botolan were partially damaged by the surges, while 12 fishing boats were damaged in Iba.

Meanwhile, a source informed ABS-CBN News that around 1,000 families have been affected by the storm in Sta. Cruz, Zambales and are calling for immediate food and relief assistance.

The effect of Cosme on the southwest monsoon also affected parts of Western Visayas, particularly the towns of Dumangas, Pavia, and Lambunao in Iloilo. A total of 1,167 families were affected in 14 barangays due to flooding and landslides.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported five road sections - one in Region VI, three in Region IV-B and one in Region II are not passable due to flooding.

Electricity has also been cut off in the whole of western and central Pangasinan and in some parts of eastern Pangasinan, the NDCC reported.

Meanwhile, of the eight dams affected by the storm four - San Roque in Region I, Magat in Region II, Ambuklao in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and La Mesa in the National Capital Region (NCR) - have opened their gates as of Saturday evening to prevent the dams from reaching spilling levels, with Magat Dam's gates reportedly open since Monday.

The NDCC also reported it has started relief operations in Pangasinan and Zambales.

Cosme in vicinity of Baguio; Signal No. 3 in 14 provinces

In its 11 p.m. update the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) reported Cosme was located in the vicinity of Baguio City, with maximum sustained winds of 105 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 135 kph.

The tropical storm was moving northeast at 19 kph. The storm is forecast to be 130 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City by Sunday afternoon.

Public Storm Warning Signal No. 3 has been raised over Zambales, Pangasinan, Tarlac, La Union, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Isabela, southern Cagayan, and Abra.

Storm Signal No. 2 is now in effect over Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the rest of Cagayan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Aurora.

Bataan, Bulacan, and Batanes are now under storm signal no. 1.

By Sunday evening Cosme is estimated to be 180 km east northeast of Aparri, Cagayan, and will move 590 km northeast of Basco, Batanes by Monday evening.

Cosme is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon and bring occasional rains over the rest of Southern Luzon and Western Visayas.

The weather bureau said residents in low lying areas and near mountain slopes are advised to take all necessary precautions against possible flashfloods and landslides.

Residents along the coastal areas of Western Luzon and Western Visayas, meanwhile, are warned about big waves generated by this tropical cyclone. ABS-CBN NEWS