A general view of the damage after Super Typhoon Yutu hit Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S., October 25, 2018 in this picture taken through a cracked vehicle window, obtained from social media.
A typhoon that devastated islands in the Western Pacific slammed into the Philippines on Tuesday, bringing strong winds and a risk of floods, storm surges and landslides in some northern provinces.
Yutu, the 18th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, swept across the main island of Luzon on Tuesday morning with wind speeds of 140 km per hour (87 mph) and gusts of up to 230 kph, and was expected to exit in the afternoon.
The typhoon, named Rosita by Philippine authorities, comes just six weeks after super typhoon Mangkhut dumped massive rains on Luzon, triggering landslides that killed more than 70 people. Thousands of people were preemptively evacuated on Monday.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Video from the path of the storm on television and on social media showed strong winds bending trees and signs, sheets of rain lashing down and loose materials flying through the air.
The Philippines' new foreign minister said on Monday the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China would unlikely be able to arrive at a legally binding code of conduct for the South China Sea.ASEAN and China this year started formal negotiations for a code of conduct to ease tensions brought by conflicting claims over a strategic waterway where about $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods passes every year."Perhaps we will not be able to arrive at a legally binding code of conduct," Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin told a news conference in southern Davao City after holding talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi."But, it will be the standard on how people of ASEAN, governments of ASEAN will behave towards each other - always with honour, never with aggression and always for the mutual progress."Locsin did not elaborate his statement on why raised doubts a binding agreement will be reached.China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has put up artificial islands turning them into garrisons. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the rich fishing grounds.Australia, Japan and the United States have urged ASEAN and China to ensure the code is "legally binding", while critics have said failure to make it enforceable creates doubts about how effective it can be.China's top diplomat assured ASEAN it will abide by whatever will be agreed in ongoing negotiations.China is hoping to conclude negotiations by 2021.Wang also assured the Philippines it will not be threat to its smaller neighbour. "China has never been and will never be a rival for the Philippines," he said as both top diplomats discussed President Xi Jinping's planned visit to Manila next month.Two dead after China bus plunges 60 metres into riverChina to expel disgraced former Interpol chief from advisory bodyChina's Xi says Japan relations back on 'right track'
Philippines doubts ASEAN, China can come up with legally binding S. China sea code
Lorelai Plaza Lastica, a resident of Isabela, the province in northeast Luzon where Yutu made landfall, said power was down and she could see debris scattered on roads, but no major damage.
"It was scary since it was so strong past midnight," she said by phone.
State weather agency PAGASA advised against land and sea travel in affected regions and told residents to stay indoors.
The Philippines reopened its top holiday island on Friday and promised sustainable tourism and a greener environment, welcoming back visitors after a six-month cleanup ordered by a president who had described it a "cesspool".Hundreds of excited local and foreign tourists barred from Boracay since April trooped to a jetty serving as the main gateway to the 10-square-kilometre (4-square-mile) island, which is famed for its sugary white sands, turquoise waters, lively nightlife and abundant water sports."We have already done the first phase, this is the rehabilitation. There is no more cesspool," environment minister, Roy Cimatu, told a news conference.In April, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Boracay's closure after seeing a video of dirty water being piped out to sea, one of the side-effects of decades of unregulated construction that caused the collapse of its tiny sewerage system.Boracay attracted two million visitors last year and raked-in $1 billion in revenues but was under heavy environmental stress, with garbage pile-ups, rampant land encroachment, and narrow roads filled with fumes from clogged traffic.But the island is now turning over a new leaf.Beach parties are now banned, as is smoking and drinking. Along the shoreline, there will be no more vendors, masseuses, fire dancers or watersports, and the scores of moored boats for years a fixture on the beach have been forced to anchor elsewhere.Only 19,000 tourists will be now be allowed on the island on any given day, with the number of workers capped at 15,000 daily."When we think about it, our problem is everybody wants to go to Boracay," Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told reporters on Friday.The government plans to extend its restoration beyond Boracay to other tourist spots on the archipelago of over 7,000 islands, she said.Prior to the closure, authorities found about a third of the 600 to 700 resorts on Boracay were operating without permits. Some 157 hotels offering 7,308 rooms were allowed to operate starting Friday.In the six-month closure, authorities removed illegal sewage pipes, closed or demolished unregistered hotels and expanded widened roads, although work is still ongoing.Tourists arriving on Friday were greeted by, rubble, excavators and partially-knocked down buildings along roads, but there were flashes of Boracay's idyllic past for years obscured by crowds and commercial activities."Manage your expectations. The front is beautiful, the water is pristine and clear, but of course the roads are still being built," tourism minister Romulo-Puyat added.
After makeover, Philippines welcomes tourists back to cleaner, leaner Boracay
Boat services were suspended in the busy port city of Batangas. Thousands of people in some mountain, coastal and river areas moved to temporary shelters on Monday after warnings were issued for landslides and waves of up to 3 metres (9.8 feet).
Yutu has weakened substantially since the night of Oct. 24, when as a super typhoon packing winds of at least 270 kph made a direct hit on Saipan and Tinian, two islands of the Northern Marianas, an American territory about 9,000 km (5,590 miles) west of the U.S. mainland.
It was the strongest storm to hit the archipelago in 50 years and killed a woman and wounded more than 130. Yutu tore off the roofs of buildings, flipped vehicles and damaged generators, water pipes and down hundreds of electricity poles.