Anticipating typhoon Pepeng to cause significant damage in Luzon during its landfall Saturday, the state weather bureau declared Isabela, Aurora, northern Quezon including Polilio Islands, Catanduanes, and Camarines Norte under Storm Signal No. 2 Friday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also raised the storm signals to the next level in provinces in the eastern part of Luzon after expecting the typhoon to intermittently dump heavy rains for nine straight hours today.

“Definitely, the typhoon is hazardous. It can create disasters and significant damage to the provinces declared under storm signals. It is really a big storm,” PAGASA director Nathaniel Cruz told reporters.

Public Warning Storm Signal No. 1 was hoisted over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, and Bulacan.

He explained that the lowest storm signal was also declared over Rizal, southern Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Burias Island, and Northern Samar because of the expected storm surges and big waves to be generated by Pepeng.

Cruz alerted local government officials in Northern Luzon for heightened
public warnings reaching Storm Signal Nos. 3 and 4 starting today as Pepeng is expected to intensify into a super typhoon.The weather bureau issued the advisory after spotting Pepeng in the Philippine Sea about 270 kilometers east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes as of 11 a.m. yesterday, inching closer towards  Cagayan and the Ilocos region to make landfall in Aurora, Isabela, and Quirino the whole day on Saturday.

PAGASA weather forecasting section chief Robert Sawi said Pepeng maintained maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center and a gustiness of up to 230 kph while moving west northwest towards Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte at 19 kph.

Sawi said that the severe weather disturbance will bring heavy rains and gusty winds, which may trigger flashfloods and landslides and cause severe damages in Benguet, Abra, La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte, which will be directly hit before Pepeng makes its way out of Luzon towards the South China Sea by Sunday.

He said billboards should also be rolled down in the provinces in Southern Luzon including Metro Manila, which will be indirectly hit by the typhoon and experience sporadic but heavy rains and gusty winds.

For his part, Cruz assured that the amount of rainfall to be dumped over the National Capital Region and neighboring provinces will not be as high as those brought by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” considering that the southwest monsoon is no longer prevailing and the eye of the typhoon is too far.

Meanwhile, PAGASA Hydrometeorological Services head Susan Espinueva said that they will continue releasing waters in Angat, Ipo, Magat and Pantabangan Dams in anticipation of heavy rainfall.

She noted that the dam gates will be opened until the level of water normalizes in the reservoir a few days after typhoon reaches 80 kilometers west of Laoag city by Sunday morning and at about 400 kilometers west southwest of Basco, Batanes by Monday morning.