Aquino cancels visit to Dumaguete due to bad weather

MANILA -- President Benigno Aquino III cancelled his engagements in Dumaguete City on Tuesday due to bad weather caused by Tropical Depression "Crising."

The President was scheduled to attend the inauguration of a building at Link Sy IT Park in Barangay Bantayan, Dumaguete City, Tuesday morning.

Aquino also cancelled his meeting with local leaders in Dumaguete, which is part of the campaign trail of the Liberal Party in the Visayas region.

"Hindi po natuloy si PNoy sa kanyang Dumaguete trip dahil meron nga pong konting weather disturbance and it was not deemed safe for the President and his party to fly—that was this morning," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said at a press briefing in Malacanang.

She said it was unfortunate that the President failed to attend the inauguration because he was in the same place to attend the groundbreaking of the IT park last year.

Crising was spotted 100 kilometers southeast of General Santos City as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

It was moving west northwest at 22 kilometers per hour with center winds of 45 kph. It made landfall in the southern tip of Davao del Sur.

Nineteen provinces in Mindanao have been placed under storm signal no. 1 Tuesday morning, Pagasa said.

Valte, meanwhile, said that the President will push through with his visit to Cebu this afternoon.

Aquino is scheduled to depart Manila at 4:30 p.m., she said, citing Presidential Security Group head Ramon Dizon.

From Cebu, the President will proceed to Roxas City on Wednesday. He is set to fly to Iloilo on Thursday. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)