About 2,000 students from various schools in the province who were participating in the 38th Boy Scouts of the Philippines Provincial Scout Jamboree and the 33rd Asia-Pacific Regional Camp Pagsusubok are being sent home early due to the impending threat of Severe Tropical Storm Uwan (international name: Fung-Wong).
In an advisory, Botolan town Mayor Jun Omar Ebdane directed the event organizers to coordinate with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) to ensure the safe demobilization and return of participants on Friday (Nov. 7)-a day earlier than the scheduled closing ceremony.
The event, held in Barangay San Juan, Botolan from Nov. 5 to 8, is an annual activity of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. This year’s gathering also serves as a preparatory event for the upcoming 33rd Asia-Pacific Regional Jamboree set for Dec. 14-21.
Aside from the suspension of the scouting events, Ebdane also halted recreational fishing and commercial sea activities within the territorial waters of Botolan for the duration of the storm warning. All boats and other marine vessels were advised to remain in port and take necessary safety precautions until weather conditions improve.
Ebdane further directed Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees, especially in low-lying, coastal, riverine, and other high-risk areas, to be on heightened alert and activate their emergency response protocols.
As of 5 p.m. on Friday, Severe Tropical Storm Uwan has prompted storm signals over several areas of the country. Its center was estimated at 1,175 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour near the center