BAGUIO City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. and Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan have announced the stop of classes in a bid to keep children safely indoors and called for preventive evacuation.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration has placed the city and the provinces of Benguet, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Ifugao under signal number 2, forcing the suspension of classes in both high school and elementary.

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The Rotary Club is still searching for sites in Cordillera to set up shelter boxes serving those hit by Typhoon Pepeng and in anticipation of coming of Typhoon Ramil.

Rolando Villanueva, Rotary district governor of Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and CAR said there are fifty more shelter boxes to be set up and the club is eying Atok, Benguet and Tadian, Mountain Province as possible areas for distribution.

With the wrath of Typhoon Pepeng there are 87,700 affected families equivalent to 424,888 persons, forcing 16 existing evacuation centers to open.

Villanueva said the shelter boxes could accommodate as many as 10 people if needed. "It is a temporary solution to declog the evacuation centers we have."

The club has been able to set up seven shelters at the Veterans area in Wangal, La Trinidad; 27 in Itogon town; and 24 at Tublay families have been using the tents since.

There are 25 shelter boxes set up at the Benguet State University compound at the Strawberry Fields, which remain empty awaiting, kitchen and bathroom provisions to be set up by the local government unit.

One 1,409 persons are scattered in centers representing 310 displaced families.

La Trinidad has the most centers at seven, one each for Atok, Bokod and Itogon towns, five for Tublay and one for Tadian.

Villanueva added the tents are going to lend to the recipients for as long as they need it and added no pressure of return is being imposed. "We bring it to where the greatest of need is."

The ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity, which delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide.

"One tent costs $1,000," he said.

In Tadian, the Kayan Elementary School houses 23 families representing 167 people rendered homeless, while in Atok the local Assembly of God church houses 10 families comprised of 44 individuals.

CAR's death count is now 316 with 167 injured and 27 still missing due to Pepeng.