In a weather bulletin issued at 11:00 AM today, PAGASA announced that Tropical Depression “Urduja” has further weakened after crossing Palawan. It has made its sixth landfall in Taytay, Palawan earlier this morning. Prior to this, it traversed other portions of Southern Luzon and Visayas. Below is the chronology of landfall activities:

– San Policarpio, Eastern Samar
December 16, 2017 (1:30 PM)

– Mobo, Masbate
December 17, 2017 (10:00 AM)

– Sibuyan Island, Romblon
December 17, 2017 (12:00 PM)

– Malay, Aklan
December 17, 2107 (6:00 PM)

– Cuyo Island, Palawan
December 17, 2017 (11:00 PM)

The center or the Tropical Depression was last spotted at 90 kilometers (km) north-northwest of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan with maximum winds of up to 45 kph and gustiness of up to 60 kph. Moving west at 18 kph, it is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) tomorrow morning or afternoon.

Signal Number 1 remains hoisted in Palawan, where winds of 30 to 60 kph are expected in the next 36 hours. Residents are advised to prepare for rains with gusty winds and are alerted against flash floods and landslides.

Meanwhile, due to the Tail-End of a cold front, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bicol Region and the provinces of Aurora, Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

The Northeast Monsoon, locally known as Hanging Amihan, also prevails and will continue to bring cooler weather in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. However, along with the cold weather are cloudy skies with scattered rains. Visayas and Mindanao can expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Gale warning is up in the seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon, which include Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan, Cagayan, Ilocos province, Isabela, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora, Zambales and Bataan. The same warning is in effect in the western and eastern seaboards of Southern Luzon and the eastern seaboard of Visayas. These include Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, western coast of Batangas and of Cavite, the northern and eastern coasts of Camarines provinces, Catanduanes, as well as the eastern coasts of Albay, Sorsogon, Quezon, Polillo Island, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are prohibited from sailing due to rough to very rough sea conditions.

Meanwhile, the Tropical Depression outside the PAR has weakened into a Low Pressure Area (LPA) and was last located at 1,500 km east of Mindanao. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Robert “Obet” Badrina said it may still re-intensify into a cyclone and could still enter the PAR within the week. The weather bureau reminds the public, including disaster risk reduction and management offices, to keep monitoring updates.

Tropical Storm Urduja remains almost stationary as it moves off the coast of Eastern Samar.

At 10:00 AM, the storm was at 240 kilometers east of Borongan, Eastern Samar. It has maximum winds of 75 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 90 kph. Based on PAGASA’s 11:00 AM weather bulletin, scattered to widespread rains will continue over Eastern Visayas and Caraga and are expected to prevail over Bicol Region and the rest of Visayas within 24 hours. By coordinating with their respective local government and disaster risk reduction and management offices, residents of these areas should take precautionary measures against flooding and landslides.

Moving northwest at 5 kph, Urduja is expected to make landfall over Northern Samar – Eastern Samar area tomorrow. It is also forecast to cross Visayas and Southern Luzon before weakening into a Low Pressure Area (LPA) on December 20.

Ahead of the storm’s landfall, several areas in Samar Island have been submerged with floods:

WEATHER TODAY
Nineteen areas remain under tropical cyclone warning signals, alerting residents to stay alert for possible flash floods and landslides.

Today, Samar provinces and Biliran will experience a stormy weather. The rest of Eastern Visayas, Bicol Region, Romblon, Marinduque, Northern Cebu, Capiz, Aklan, Northern Iloilo, and Dinagat Islands will experience rains with gusty winds. Likewise, the rest of Visayas and Mindanao, CALABARZON, and the provinces of Mindoro and Palawan will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorm. In the rest of Luzon including Metro Manila, cloudy skies will prevail except for scattered rains.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), 1 out of 5 Filipino adult suffers from a mental health disorder. The three most common ones in the country, according to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), include specific phobia, alcohol abuse and depression.

Life coach and psychiatrist Dr. Randy Dellosa says that although sadness is normal and temporary, depression affects a person for a longer period of time and is associated with nine major symptoms:

– Sadness, irritability or anxiety
– Loss of motivation or enjoyment
– Changes in sleep pattern
– Changes in appetite
– Changes self-image or self-confidence
– Poor focus
– Overthinking
– Low energy
– Thoughts of death or suicide

Different factors, such as genetics, contribute to psychiatric disorders. If both parents have disorders, the chance for their offspring to be diagnosed with a disorder is higher. Another factor is stress, whether mental, emotional, physical or a combination of all.

Hormones can also be the culprit, leading to an imbalance in brain chemicals. Other factors include drugs, alcohol and lack of sleep. In other cases, situational triggers like death in the family, calamity, heartbreak or tragedy can also affect a person’s mind, body and emotions.

Dellosa explained that people tend to be suicidal because of recurring symptoms. Because they don’t know where or how to get help, they feel so hopeless that they want to end their suffering.

Cuts and Scars

Ven, a 27-year-old public school teacher, has been suffering from depression. She isn’t exactly sure when it started, but she thinks it might have been triggered by her parents’ separation when she was 8 years old. Her condition got worse when her grandmother died last year.

“Nitong last year lang, nagkasakit ‘yung lola ko. Sobrang daming gastos tapos tulung-tulong kami sa pagtustos ng gamut. Nagkautang-utang din ako. Tapos ‘yun, parang biglang bumagsak ‘yung buhay ko nung namatay ‘yung lola ko.

Nawala ako sa pagsisimba, talagang kwinestyon ko si Lord kung bakit…ginawa ko naman lahat, nagsimba ako…pero bakit kinuha, parang wala nakong kakampi.” (My grandmother died last year. I was buried in debt because of her medications. I did my best to help her. I went to church and prayed incessantly but God still took her life. I questioned Him. I felt alone and devastated.)

“Yung one time na naglaslas ako, pinakauna sa school. Kasi sobrang stressed na stressed na ako. Lahat kasi ng trabaho parang sa akin inaasa. Kinabukasan, may tinuruan ako na bata, para sa isang contest sa buong probinsya so mas mataas na level. Natalo ‘yung bata. Naglaslas na naman ako sa bahay. Ano na naman ba nagawa ko, mali na naman ba, kasi parang ‘yung expectations nila mula pagkabata ko na laging nananalo, laging nasa taas kaso wala, parang bigla akong bumulusok.” (My first suicide attempt happened in school where I started to cut my wrist because of too much stress at work. The next day, I was feeling extremely down because my student didn’t win the contest. As a teacher, I was blaming myself. I felt I wasn’t good enough.)

Because of depression, Ven has also experienced auditory hallucinations. She heard loud voices saying, “Wala kang kwenta. Wala ka nang silbi!” (You are worthless! You’re good for nothing!) Fear, loneliness and low self-esteem gnawed at her until she committed her fifth suicide attempt. Up to now, the scars are still visible on her wrist.

Easing the pain

To help a person with a psychiatric disorder, here are ways to ease the burden they are carrying:

– Educate yourself by getting involved in different mental health campaigns in the community or institutions

– Lend a listening ear so they can release their emotions and express their selves without judgment. This gives them relief and helps them cope with bad memories.

– If their condition is getting worse, accompany them to a psychiatrist for medication and psychotherapy.

– Encourage them to undergo wellness therapy wherein they can engage in activities that make them feel good mentally, emotionally and physically. Examples are exercise, good food or art therapy like dance, visual arts or singing, which serve as outlets for self-expression.

After Ven’s fifth suicidal attempt, her family finally learned about her condition. Her relatives are now helping her to cope with her illness. Her faith is also redeemed, and Ven now regularly attends mass.

Paiting and writing have also become her outlets. She has penned poetry also published on her blog site. Recently, she was also invited to perform her poems in a benefit gig that aims to promote awareness on mental health through art.

Mental Health in the Philippines

NCMH Chief Bernardino Vicente said mental health is not a priority in the country and is poorly funded. “There is also a lot of stigma attached to mental illness, and the stigma does not end with the patient. Even the mental health providers or psychiatrists are also stigmatized. You’ll often hear, anong trabaho mo, psychiatrist, hindi ka ba nahahawa, (As a psychiatrist, don’t you get infected with mental illnesses?) such remarks like that.”

There are only a few doctors who would want to take up psychiatry. If you compare it to our neighboring countries, like for example Japan, they have about 16, 000 psychiatrists nationwide. In the Philippines, we only have about 600 and what’s bad about it is the inequitable distribution. Most of them are here [in Metro Manila]. Pumunta ka sa probinsya, halos wala kang makikita (There are almost none in the provinces),” he added.

Recently, majority of the House of Representatives members approved the third and final reading of the Comprehensive Mental Health Act or House Bill 6452. It will be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, hopefully before the year ends.

The bill gives emphasis on the responsibilities of all concerned government agencies and mental health providers, as well as fund allocation and services that should be accessible to all Filipinos, including those in the rural areas.

Watch our special documentary on Mental Health

As of 11:00 AM today, Tropical Depression Urduja has slightly intensified and slowed down as it threatens Samar provinces. Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Number 1 is still hoisted in 17 areas, where winds of 30-60 kph is expected in 36 hours. Residents are alerted against possible flash floods and landslides.

Moving west at 7kph, Urduja is expected to make landfall over Eastern Samar tomorrow morning. Here’s our latest report as of 11:00 AM today:

Within hours, a natural phenomenon can already reduce a beautiful mountainscape into a blazing inferno. Earlier this month, extreme fire conditions broke out in different parts of Southern California. The series of wildfires was ignited by powerful dry winds called Santa Ana winds, an annual occurrence in this part of California. The strong northeasterly winds originating from dry high-pressure air masses descended from the inland deserts funneling through coastal mountains through the Santa Ana Canyon. This condition caused the vegetation to dry out, making them more flammable.

Six major fires led to widespread evacuations and property losses.

THOMAS FIRE in VENTURA COUNTY
The biggest blaze in the state started as a 50-acre bush fire in the foothills east of Santa Paula. The devastation grew to 10,000 acres in just four hours. By early Friday, it swelled to over 132,000 acres. More than 88,000 residents have been evacuated.

CREEK FIRE in SYLMAR AREA
The fire has scorched more than 15,000 acres. Approximately 120,000 people have been evacuated with thousands of structures threatened. Wind speeds of 70 miles per hour is still fuelling the fire.

RYE FIRE in SANTA CLARITA AREA
The third bush fire has so far burned 7,000 acres in the Santa Clarita area even with 775 firefighters on the scene. About 2,000 residents have been evacuated.

SKIRBALL FIRE in LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Because of the fire, Interstate 405, one of America’s busiest highways, was temporarily closed. With the burning of 475 acres and counting, as well as several homes in the Bel Air area, Los Angeles County declared a state of emergency.

LILAC FIRE in SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Dubbed as an uncontrollable wildfire that reached peak gusts of 66 miles per hour, the Lilac Fire has devoured over 4,000 acres of land. California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in the San Diego County.

LIBERTY FIRE in RIVERSIDE COUNTY
A bush fire has charred 300 acres and destroyed six outbuildings and a house. The Murrieta Mesa High School remains open as a shelter for evacuees.

Overall, the six blazes have burned close to 200,000 acres and forced over 212,000 residents from their homes. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 8,700 firefighters battled the first four large wildfires. A 70-year-old woman was identified as the first victim of the fires, while the Creek Fire was responsible for the death of almost 40 horses at Rancho Padilla.

WILDFIRE CAUSES
A Mediterranean Climate Zone prevails in most of California, characterized by virtually zero rainfall for half the year. The presence of Santa Ana winds makes California susceptible to fires all-year-round.

Forest fires always start either naturally caused or human caused. Natural fires are generally started by lightning, but in California’s fires, they are largely caused by dry conditions and the state’s Santa Ana winds. Still, the impact of wildfires can be reduced when greenhouse gas emissions are addressed.

Emissions worsen fires by altering precipitation and decreasing forest health, making forests more susceptible to severe fires. Destroyed forests may be unable to regenerate under changing climate conditions.

THE WORLD’S GREATEST FIRES

The Miramichi Fire (1825)
In October 1825, blazes lit up during a dry summer in Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick charring a massive 3 million acres. The fire killed 160 and left 15,000 homeless.

The Great Peshtigo Fire (1871)
3.7 million acres in Wisconsin and Michigan in October 1871 obliterated dozen of towns with flames that left 1,500 people cremated by heat that reached 2,000 degrees.

The Black Friday Bushfires (1939)
This is the most significant event in the environmental history of Victoria, Australia that nearly burned 5 million acres. About three-quarters of the state of Victoria were affected destroying entire towns and taking out 1,000 homes and 69 sawmills.

Greek Forest Fires (2007)
A series of massive forest fires in Greece stretched from June 28 to September 3, 2007. About 2,100 structures were destroyed in the fires, which scorched 670,000 acres and killed 84 people. Flames burned dangerously close to historic sites such as Olympia and Athens.

CONTROL AND PREVENTION

Over the years, forest wildfires have risen to the forefront of political and public awareness. International organizations and agencies continue to collaborate within the framework of the United Nations Forum on Forests to help build national capacities and support member countries in reducing adverse effects of fires. Other areas focused on are strengthening policy dialogue, dissemination of data, strategies related to early warning, prevention, management, control and remedial action and rehabilitation following forest fires.

Fires aren’t often declared as major disasters. Forest fires, however, are extremely dangerous. Residents and agencies should know how to avoid and respond to this emergency:

• Check local regulations regarding permit requirements “burn and ban” restrictions.
• Be prepared to extinguish the fire if it becomes a nuisance.
• Attend to the fire until it is completely out.
• Smoking should not be done while moving from one place to another in forest land.
• Cars, trucks and machinery must have proper exhaust systems when used in or near forest land.
• Know your local emergency telephone number if a fire becomes uncontrollable.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has listed several recommendations on how homeowners in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) high-risk areas can protect themselves:

• Construct homes with fire-resistant materials.
• Situate homes on lots to protect them from fire spread.
• Clear a perimeter of defensible space around homes.
• Install smoke alarms.
• Develop and practice evacuation plans in the event of a wildfire.
• Responsible human behavior can help reduce the number of forest fires to a great extent.

The Low Pressure Area (LPA) east of Mindanao has intensified into a Tropical Depression and was given the local name Urduja, the country’s 21st tropical cyclone this year.

At 10:00 AM today, Tropical Depression Urduja was at 405 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. It has maximum winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 65 kph, moving north-northwest at 7 kph. According to PAGASA Weather Forecaster Chris Perez, it may intensify into a Tropical Storm within the next 36 hours and hit the Southern Bicol Region or the northern part of Samar Provinces on Saturday.

As Urduja heads towards the landmass, Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas will experience cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rain showers and thunderstorms, which may trigger flash floods and landslides. In Mindanao, the rest of Visayas, MIMAROPA and CALABARZON, cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may cause flash floods and landslides. Cloudy skies with scattered rains will prevail in Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and the rest of Central Luzon. Meanwhile, Ilocos Region will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains.

Because of the surge of Amihan, gale warning is still in effect in seaboards of Northern Luzon and eastern seaboards of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon and Visayas where wave height may reach up to 3.4 to 4.5 meters. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out into the sea, while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves in Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Aurora, Catanduanes; the northern and eastern seaboards of Camarines Provinces; the eastern coasts of Albay, Sorsogon, and Quezon including Polilio Island; northern and eastern coasts of Northern Samar; and the eastern coast of Eastern Samar.

At 10:00 AM, a Low Pressure Area (LPA) was last spotted at 420 kilometers East of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Samuel Duran said it may develop into a Tropical Depression within the next 24 to 48 hours. If this happens, it will be called by its local name #UrdujaPH. According to its initial track, it may move closer to Eastern Visayas and Bicol Region but will recurve away from the landmass. This weather disturbance will bring light to moderate rains and thunderstorms in Caraga and Davao.

The Northeast Monsoon or Hanging Amihan is still dominant in Northern and Central Luzon. It will bring scattered rains in Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley and Aurora, while partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains is expected in Cordillera, Ilocos and the rest of Central Luzon.

Meanwhile, the Tail-End of a Cold Front continues to affect the eastern section of Southern Luzon, bringing moderate to occasionally heavy rains in the Bicol Region, Visayas and the province of Quezon. Mindoro, Marinduque, Roomblon and Palawan (MIMAROPA) will have light to moderate rains and thunderstorms. Residents are alerted against possible flash floods or landslides due to scattered light to moderate to at times heavy rains.

The surge of Hanging Amihan brings rough to very rough sea conditions in the northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Luzon, and the eastern seaboards of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon and Visayas. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out into the sea, while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves.

(UPDATED AS OF 10:00 AM) Here’s a list of schools and areas where classes have been suspended for tomorrow, December 8, 2017.

CITIES
– Angeles, Pampanga – special non-working day in line with the 188th founding anniversary
– Antipolo, Rizal – special non-working day in line with the 426th founding anniversary
– Agoo, La Union – special non-working day in line with the 439th founding anniversary
– Batac, Ilocos Norte – special non-working day in accordance with Presidential Proclamation No. 372
– Taguig City – special non-working day in line with the 358th founding anniversary

SCHOOLS (in observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception)
– Baliuag University
– Colegio de San Juan de Letran
– Holy Cross of Davao College
– University of Santo Tomas Manila

According to PAGASA Weather Forecaster Samuel Duran, no weather disturbance or Tropical Cyclone is expected to affect the country within the next three days. However, rains are more likely to persist in Luzon and Visayas due to the presence of the Northeast Monsoon and Tail-End of a Cold Front.

The Northeast Monsoon, also known as Hanging Amihan, is composed of cold and dry air coming from Mainland China or Siberia. It normally affects the country during ber months, bringing colder weather and lower temperatures. In the next hours, Amihan will cause cloudy skies with light to moderate rains in Metro Manila and the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, Central Luzon and CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).

Apart from the rains and slightly cooler breeze, Amihan continues to affect the sea condition. Gale warning is up in the northern seaboard of Luzon including Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan. The same warning is hoisted in the eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon, affecting Aurora, the eastern coast of Quezon, Polillo Island, Camarines Norte, the northern coast of Camarines Sur and Catanduanes. Rough to very rough sea condition with wave height ranging from 3.4 to 4.5 meters may be risky for fishing boats and other small seacraft.

Meanwhile, the Tail-End of a Cold Front is the boundary or an area where cold and warm air masses meet. Converging winds form clouds that produce rains and thunderstorms.

This weather system will bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in Visayas and the regions of MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Bicol, Caraga, Northern Mindanao and Zamboanga Peninsula. The rest of the country will experience generally fair weather aside from chances of isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.