2 typhoons moving into PHL
SEVERE TROPICAL storm Rolly (international name: Goni) continued to head towards the eastern side of Luzon on Thursday while another tropical depression east of Mindanao, to be named Siony, is expected to enter the Philippine area by Monday or Tuesday. As of Thursday morning, weather bureau PAGASA reported Rolly’s location at 1,545 kilometers (km) east of central Luzon and moving west-northwest towards the provinces of Quezon and Aurora with winds of up to 95 km per hour. PAGASA Weather Specialist Raymond Ordinario said it is expected to intensify into typhoon category within the next 24 hours and make landfall by Sunday evening or early Monday morning. “Tropical cyclone wind signal #1 may be raised over some provinces in Bicol Region and Northern Samar by Friday evening,” he said. The tropical depression, meanwhile, is expected to strengthen as it moves in a west-northwest direction with winds of up to 55 km/h. “We are going to have back-to-back typhoons in the coming week,” Mr. Ordinario said in Filipino, “we are advising the public to be on high alert, especially those in the eastern side of the country.”
QUINTA’S AGRI DAMAGE UP TO P1.7B
These two typhoons come in the heels of typhoon Quinta (international name: Molave), which left 16 people dead, 22 injured, and four missing as of the October 29 report from the national disaster management council. A total of 27,213 houses were totally destroyed while over 2,300 were partially damaged. The Mimaropa Region — composed of the provinces of Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan — suffered the most infrastructure damage. More than 16,800 families composed of almost 65,600 people were still staying in 916 evacuation centers across the affected areas. In agriculture, damage has reached P1.70 billion, more than double the previous day’s P705.87 million as more assessment reports are received by the Department of Agriculture (DA) from field offices. In its Thursday bulletin, DA said lost crops stood at 103,520 metric tons, with 30,438 farmers and fishers affected across the country. Aside from rice, corn, and high-value crops, the fisheries, livestock and poultry sectors also suffered losses. The DA said it has allocated P795 million as a quick response fund for rehabilitation. The government on Thursday assured there are enough funds to assist those affected by the calamities. “We do have enough funds given that it’s already October. We have about P800 million worth of standby funds and family food packs ready for deployment,” Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said in his daily briefing. — with reports from Revin Mikhael D. Ochave and Gillian M. Cortez
Honda opens new dealership in Tagum City
HONDA CARS Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) has launched its newest dealership, located in Tagum City, its 35th in the country and fifth in Mindanao. Operating under dealer conglomerate ANC+ Group of Companies, the 3,200 square meter full-service dealership can display up to eight vehicles, Honda said in a press release on Wednesday. “As part of Honda’s 30th year celebration in the Philippines, we are delighted to welcome Honda Cars Tagum in Honda’s dealership roster. This dealer will surely impart a significant contribution in providing excellent customer satisfaction for Honda customers,” HCPI President Masahiko Nakamura said. Automotive sales in the country fell by over 22% in September compared to the same month last year, the slowest pace of decline since the lockdown began in March. HCPI sales declined by 38.4% in September, with 4.42% market share. Honda earlier this month said that it expects its overall sales to decline to match the rest of the industry this year, but sees some sales opportunities through its hatchback models. — Jenina P. Ibañez
