More Miseries in Philippines as Typhoon Refuses to Leave

Typhoon Parma (locally named “Pepeng”) continued pummeling Northern Philippines on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, bringing more destruction to a country already battered by a previous storm as its exit was impeded by a high pressure area over China and new super typhoon Mellor coming from the Pacific Ocean.

A resident uses a makeshift boat to save himself and his neighbors after their houses were hit by floodwaters caused by continous rains brought by Typhoon Parma in Baguio City. (Reuters)

As of 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Parma was spotted 80 kms north northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Parma was partly being hindered from moving out of the Philippines by the incoming Typhoon Mellor which was pulling Parma back.

“Melor is moving fast… nearer us. So, this typhoon is preventing Parma from moving towards east. That’s why, for the next several days, we will expect Typhoon Parma to remain almost stationary in the extreme Northern Luzon,” said Nathaniel Cruz, PAGASA weather sciences bureau chief.

He said Parma could remain in the Philippines for the next three days, bringing more rainfall, high waves and landslides to Northern Philippines, particularly the Ilocos region. He warned that Parma could make a U-turn and return to northwest Luzon “and slowly move behind typhoon Melor.”

Cruz said Parma’s final movement will depend on the movement of Melor and the high pressure area over China.

Cruz said if Melor maintains its present speed, it will enter the Philippine area of responsibility by Monday. He said Melor will be named “Quedan” once it enters Philippine territory.

Earlier on Sunday, the Associated Press reported that Melor left the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan, and Tinian. AP said Melor packed maximum sustained winds of 209 kph and was located at 298 kms northwest of Saipan and Tinian. It was moving at 27 kph.

Cruz warned that Melor is even more powerful than Parma, or even Ketsana (locally named “Onday”), whose record rainfall triggered a deluge in Metro Manila and portions of Central and Southern Luzon last Sept. 26, killing nearly 300 people.

Parma poured more rains over northern Luzon, flooding many areas and cutting off power supply, officials said, adding that fallen trees littered some roads.

They reported that two landslides buried homes in the province of Benguet, killing 12 people on Saturday. In the town of Itogon, seven construction workers who were all members of the same clan were killed when a landslide buried them while they were reportedly sleeping inside a hut at about midnight. Five other persons belonging to the same family, including a 10-month-old baby, were also killed in another landslide in Barangay Beckel in La Trinidad town.

Landslides were also reported in some parts of Baguio, where Filipino superstar and the world’s pound-for-pound boxing king Manny Pacquiao is currently training for his welterweight match with Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas on Nov. 14.