Arroyo calls for prayers as ‘Ramil’ slows down and weakens

Typhoon Ramil (Lupit) may have weakened on Thursday, but President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo just the same called on Filipinos to pray that the calamity-stricken Philippines be spared from further devastation. "Bagamat maganda ang umaga ngayon, hayaan niyong manawagan na muna ako sa inyo para sa lahat na tayo ay magdasal para sa ating taongbayan sa buong Luzon. Unang una yuong mga nawalaan ng mga minamahal na tahanan at pag-aari, at para rin sa mga nawawalaan ng pag-asa sa kinabukasan dahil sa mga kalamidad ng kalikasan," President Arroyo said in her address before a tourism summit in Batangas City. (We may be enjoying good weather today, but allow me to ask you to pray for our countrymen in Luzon, especially those who have lost their homes and belongings, and those who were losing hope after these natural calamities.) In making her call for prayers, the President cited the latest weather report, which showed Ramil was weakening and slowing down. Ramil’s waning strength Based on its 11 a.m. advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Ramil continued to pack maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 195 kph. On Wednesday, Ramil had winds of 175 kph, with gusts of 210 kph. Pagasa placed the following areas under signal No. 3 (where the strength of winds range from 101 kph-185 kph): Batanes, Cagayan, Calayan Island, Babuyan Islands, and Apayao. On the other hand, areas under signal No. 2 (60-100 kph winds) are: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, Isabela, Abra, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Aurora. Those under signal No. 1 (30-60 kph winds) are Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Northern Quezon, and Polillo Islands. Moving slowly west-southwest, Ramil was estimated at 300 km east of Aparri in Cagayan as of 10 a.m. Thursday. It is forecast to be 190 km east of Aparri on Friday morning, 120 km east of Aparri on Saturday morning, and 70 km southeast of Aparri on Sunday morning, Pagasa said.

A comparison of Ramil's different tracks predicted by Pagasa (upper left), US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (upper right), Japan Meteorological Agency (lower left), and UK-based Tropical Storm Risk (lower right). Note that only in Pagasa's prediction will Ramil hit RP. Spare us altogether Earlier in the day, Pagasa chief Prisco Nilo said Ramil might delay its expected landfall and might strike on Monday next week. In Mrs. Arroyo’s speech, she said everyone should pray that Ramil would continue to weaken and even spare the country altogether. “Mas mahabang panahong paghahanda at magdasal tayo para tuluyang humina..., or maiwasan sana tayo (We have more time to prepare and let us pray that Ramil would weaken further or even spare us completely," she added. Last Sunday, churches offered prayers that the storm will spare the Philippines, which is still reeling from deadly floods and landslides. On Tuesday, the Roman Catholic Church published a full-page prayer for deliverance from typhoons in a national broadsheet. The prayer lamented that "global warming is upon us" and the asked God to spare Filipinos "from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made." Last September 26, tropical storm “Ondoy" (ketsana) wreaked havoc in Metro Manila and other provinces in Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions. While the victims were still reeling from the destruction, typhoon “Pepeng" (Parma) entered Philippine territory and dumped rains for one week. Ondoy and Pepeng caused massive flooding, landslides, and dam spills – resulting in the deaths of hundreds, the displacement of thousands of families, and destruction in infrastructure and agriculture amounting to billions. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV