MANILA, Philippines - Typhoon 'Mina' made landfall in northern Luzon Saturday killing at least 2 people in Pangasinan. 

 

Parts of northern, northeastern and northwestern parts of Luzon are now suffering the brunt of Mina after the weather disturbance made landfall in Cagayan, Saturday.

 

“Tumama na po ang sentro ng mata ng typhoon Mina kaninang 7:55 ng umaga at ang tama po niya ay sa Naglocsadon Point sa may Gonzaga, Cagayan,” said Undersecretary Graciano Yumul of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

 

The typhoon gained strength overnight and was bearing maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center as it moved northwest at 9 kph.

 

“Ang bagyo dahil stationery sya, napakabagal niya, napakadaming enerhiya at tubig ang nakuha niya sa karagatan at lahat ng tubig na yun ay hindi lang ibinibagsak sa Cagayan ngayon. Lahat po ng ating field report sa Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Kalinga, Apayao, Isabela at Aurora , nagre-report na po sila ng napakalakas ng pagulan at hangin,” said Yumul.

 

Two children were killed in a landslide in Pangasinan, said Executive Director Benito Ramos of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. 

 

The house of the Bautista family in Barangay Ramon, San Fabian, Pangasinan got buried in a landslide killing a 5-year-old and a 6-year-old. 

 

Three bridges in Cagayan province collapsed due to the onslaught of typhoon Mina.

 

“Sa Peñablanca, Cagayan yung Tawi bridge at 2 sa Baggao, Cagayan--Abusad bridge at Bacunod bridge,” said Ramos in an interview with radio dzMM.

 

 

Signal Number 4 remains hoisted over northern Cagayan, Calayan, and the Babuyan Group of Islands.

 

Signal Number 3 is up over Isabela, the rest of Cagayan and Batanes Group of Islands.

 

Signal Number 2 is up over northern Aurora, Quirino, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga and Apayao while the rest of Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Benguet, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and Abra are under signal number 1.

 

Residents in low-lying and mountainous areas under public storm warning signals are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides while those living in coastal areas are alerted against big waves or storm surges generated by the tropical cyclone.

 

The National Capital Region will experience enhanced monsoon rains.

 

“Maulan dahil sa habagat na patuloy na hinihigop ng typhoon Mina,” said Yumul.

 

The weather is expected to improve by Sunday but PAGASA said Mina may linger until Friday as a tropical storm, with international name "Talas," persists in the Pacific Ocean.

 

This will make Mina the longest staying tropical cyclone in the country this year after typhoon Kabayan.

 

“There's a binary interaction that’s why you have a very slow moving typhoon almost stationary. Mina is supposed to hit Taiwan but it won’t. It’s supposed to go out Tuesday but there are new models that say its going to go out Friday, before hitting Taiwan (Mina) will make a u-turn before going out of the PAR,” he said.

 

He added, “When Talas heads for Japan, this (Mina) will go eastward and goes out of this PAR. If it stays up to Friday you’re looking at a 14-day typhoon and normally it should only stay for 3-4 days”. – Caroline Howard, ANC; Maria Aleta Nishimori, abs-cbnNEWS.com; with dzMM