Rain suspends classes in

portions of Negros Occidental

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Classes across southern Negros Occidental were cancelled yesterday due to heavy rains caused by Tropical Depression Falcon. Based on information obtained by Watchmen Daily Journal, Hinigaran, Cauayan, Candoni, and Himamaylan City cancelled classes for both elementary and high school levels.
Hinigaran Mayor Jose Nadie Arceo said water levels for the town’s rivers and other estuaries had significantly risen, while Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara issued a memorandum stating schools located in the town’s upland areas should implement precautionary measures due to possible landslides and flash flooding in the low-lying areas.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he will leave the decision up to local government units on whether to suspend classes or not. He added, all schools in a certain town or city should comply if their local chief executive declares classes suspended.
Based on an advisory issued by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) as of 11:00 a.m. yesterday, Falcon was last spotted 940 kilometers northeast of Virac, Catanduanes. The storm is moving north northwest at 25 kilometers per hour (kph) with maximum sustained winds of 45 kph and gusts up to 60 kph.
As of press time, PAGASA has yet to issue a tropical cyclone warning signal, although the entire Western Visayas has been placed under a general flood advisory./DGB, WDJ