MANILA, Philippines — Super typhoon “Juan,” packing maximum sustained winds of 225 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 260 kph, lashed Northern Luzon on Monday, triggering landslides, whipping up strong waves, cutting Internet services and power supply after toppling electric posts, forcing airlines to cancel flights, stranding thousands of passengers, and killing three persons.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Juan, the strongest typhoon to hit the country in years, made landfall at 11:25 a.m. at Sierra Madre, Isabela. PAGASA said the eye of the storm hit the landmass at Estagno Point, Divilacan Peak in Isabela.

As it made landfall, the typhoon slowed down and weakened. As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Juan was located at 60 kms southwest of Tuguegarao City with maximum sustained winds of 180 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 215 kph.

After its landfall over Isabela, the track of Juan was forecast to pass Mountain Province and exit in the La Union-Ilocos Sur area toward the South China Sea by Tuesday morning The amount of rainfall is estimated at 50-65 millimeters per hour.

“Ondoy”-like rain is expected over Northern Luzon because the typhoon has slowed down,” said Robert Sawi, PAGASA’s chief of weather forecasting division.

At 11 a.m. on Monday Storm Signal No. 4 (more than 185 kph of winds) was up in Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Ifugao.

Areas under Signal No. 3 (100-185 kph of winds) were the Babuyan Group of Islands, Calayan Group of Islands, Northern Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union, and Apayao.

Meanwhile, Signal No. 2 (60-100 kph of winds) was hoisted over Polilio Island, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Batanes Group, and rest of Aurora.

Signal No. 1 (30-60 kph of winds) was raised in Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Northern Quezon, Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, and Batangas.

Due to the ferocious winds, a total of 12 flights had to be cancelled on Monday.

As of noon on Monday, the Media Affairs Division (MAD) of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) disclosed that 10 domestic flights and two international flights were cancelled.

SEAIR fights DG605 and DG606 which services the Manila-Basco (Batanes) routes were cancelled as early as 6 a.m. on Monday.

Air Philippines Express was also forced to cancel its turn-around flight between Manila and Tuguegarao.

Cebu Pacific cancelled three turn-around flights from Manila to Cauayan in Isabela, Tuguegarao, and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte. Philippine Airlines also cancelled a turn-around flight from Manila to Laoag.

One international flight affected by the super typhoon was a Cebu Pacific flight between Pampanga and Macau which was cancelled.

Two casualties have been reported in Tuguegarao and Ilocos Sur.

In Tuguegarao, a candidate for barangay councilor became the first casualty of the super typhoon as he is believed to have drowned in Tuguegarao City river on Monday morning, a police official said.

Senior Superintendent Mao Aplasca, director of the Cagayan police, said local search and rescue teams are now scouring a river in Barangay Namabblan where 53-year old Vicente Decena was reported to have fallen and carried away by strong water current.

“Our rescue team in our motorized rubber boats are scouring the Buntun River to search for the victim,” said Aplasca.

The official said Decena is a candidate for barangay councilman in Barangay Namabblan for the October 25 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Local authorities said the incident occurred at around 6:30 a.m. on Monday while Decena was fishing in river.

Cagayan is one of the provinces directly hit by Juan along with Isabela, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Kalinga. Storm Signal Number 4 was already hoisted over the five provinces on Monday.

In Ilocos Sur, the PCG Northern Luzon District reported that a certain Joshua Duque Floreno of Barangay Waip Daya, Galemuyod, Candon, Ilocos Sur, died due to drowning.

Floreno was reportedly swimming in the coastal waters of Dapdap in Candon when he drowned.

In Apayao which is included in Storm Signal Number 3 list, the entire province has no power supply as of Monday morning as a result of the strong winds that are now currently pounding the area.

“We are now experiencing occasional heavy rain and occasional strong winds,” said Senior Superintendent Nestor Bergonia, director of the Apayao Provincial Police Office, said in an interview Monday morning.

“We are currently using generator to sustain our operations,” he added.

As of 11 a.m. on Monday, Bergonia said they have not received any report of casualty or damage within his area of responsibility, although he revealed that the local PNP and local government unit have already prepared 134 evacuation centers for the affected residents.

In Ifugao, local police and local officials met on Monday to check on the disaster preparedness plans that were initially implemented as early as Sunday, said Senior Superintendent Lawrence Mombael, Ifugao Police director.

Chief Superintendent Francisco Villaroman, director of the Cagayan Valley regional police, said they have already ordered his men to conduct roving patrol and to be on standby for possible evacuation and search and relief operations.

“We have already alerted all residents in low-lying areas for possible forced evacuation,” said Villaroman.

On Sunday, the PNP leadership placed its entire unit in the country under its highest security alert status as part of the disaster preparedness plan on the expected onslaught of the cyclone.

Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., PNP spokesman, said they have already deployed and prepositioned more troops and equipment in Northern Luzon and other areas that are forecast to be pounded by Juan.

1,000 stranded
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), meanwhile, said more than 1,000 are currently stranded in different ports across Luzon due the Juan’s onslaught.

Lieutenant Commander Armando Balilo, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Public Information Officer and deputy chief of staff for community relations, said that a total 55 vessels were grounded.

Balilo noted that 792 passengers are currently stranded in the Port of Manila, 180 in Batangas City Port Terminal, 33 in Puerto Real Port in Mindoro, and 51 in San Vicente Port Terminal in Sta. Ana, Isabela. The 51 passengers in Sta. Ana are passengers of three shipping vessels and were rescued by the PCG late Sunday.

Balilo reminded the shipping sector that the PCG would not hesitate to revoke the skipper's license and the vessel's franchise if they defy restrictions.

Lessons from past
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) officials said lessons from the past have pushed authorities to do better coordination at the field level, such that can now say the government is fully prepared and ready to undertake all contingencies even if typhoon Juan will change direction.

The NDRRMC announced its preparedness during a meeting presided by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, who is also the council chair, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

President Benigno S. Aquino III was earlier expected to attend the meeting but did not show up.

But Gazmin explained that he already briefed the President, who reportedly was in a meeting with the anti-poverty cluster, on the extent of their preparations for the typhoon.

“I have briefed the President yesterday and early this morning. I talked to him over the phone, I gave him the briefing which was presented this morning,” Gazmin said, adding that he also advised Mr. Aquino there was no need for him to attend the NDRRMC meeting as all agencies are on their toes and everything is in place.

With this, Gazmin said he was instructed by the President to just continue the NDRRMC briefing and make sure that everything is prepared.

Former Gen. Benito Ramos, NDRRMC executive officer and concurrent Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator, on the other hand said they “started dreaming for zero casualty” Sunday night. Unfortunately, two casualties have been reported.

Ramos said they started disseminating information, particularly warnings and advisories related to the typhoon as early as Oct. 14 while the NDRRMC operation center was put on blue alert effective 8:00 a.m. on Sunday.

He added emergency operation centers were likewise activated while disaster preparedness activities were immediately carried out in regions 1, 2, 3, CAR and the NCR.

The NDRRMC executive also said the armed forces and the police, as well as the coast guard, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and concerned local government units (LGUs) have already prepositioned their rescue teams and assets ready to respond when the need arises.

Stockpiling of food and other non-food items was also done by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Ramos said typhoons "Ondoy", "Pepeng", "Santi", and "Frank" have taught everyone a lesson, such that even residents in areas expected to be affected by the typhoon have already voluntarily evacuated to safer grounds, particularly in Cagayan and Isabela. (Anjo Perez, Aaron B. Recuenco, Ellalyn B. de Vera, John Carlo Cahinhinan, Elena L. Aben, and JC Bello Ruiz)