Persistent rains trigger landslides in parts of Visayas

LPA to bring more rains in Luzon, Visayas: PAGASA

(UPDATE) Parts of Luzon and Visayas will continue to experience rains brought by a low pressure area (LPA), PAGASA said Sunday. 

In its 11 p.m. advisory, the state weather bureau said the LPA will bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Aurora, Quezon, Bicol region, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Samar in the next 24 hours.

The rest of Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Marinduque, Romblon, Capiz, Aklan, Iloilo and the rest of Eastern Visayas will experience light to moderate with at times heavy rains.

PAGASA cautioned residents in these areas to be wary of possible flooding and rain-induced landslides.

At 10 p.m. Sunday, the LPA was last estimated in the vicinity of Malilipot, Albay, or 60 kilometers north northwest of Juban, Sorsogon.

PAGASA said it has not ruled out the possibility of it developing into a tropical depression.

IMPACT

Several landslides were reported in parts of Visayas over the weekend, as the LPA brought persistent rains.

In Southern Leyte, 15 people in Barangay Rizal of the town Tomas Oppus were affected by landslides triggered by the LPA's rains. They temporarily sought shelter at a nearby evacuation center.

The Wright-Taft Road in Eastern Samar was also closed to traffic after the national highway in Binaloan, Taft town was hit by a landslide.

The province's Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it decided to close the road for the safety of motorists.

As of writing, clearing operations were ongoing. The DPWH has yet to announce when the road would reopen. 

Also due to persistent rains on Saturday, a landslide occurred in Purok Camote, Barangay Malalay in the town of Ronda, Southwestern Cebu.

No one was hurt in the incident, according to Ronda’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Gerard Aguaviva.

The local government, however, announced the temporary closure of the road. Clearing operations, Aguaviva added, were delayed due to the non-stop rains.

They are also monitoring possible soil movement. “The hill might give up anytime upon another downpour,” the disaster official said. 

—with reports from Ariel Rojas, Annie Perez, and Ranulfo Docdocan, ABS-CBN News