SAN FERNANDO CITY Sep 09 (PIA) - Local government units (LGUs) in the province of La Union suspended classes in both private and public schools as well as various government agencies suspended work operations due to heavy rains and flooding in major thoroughfares caused by southwest monsoon on September 9, here.

"All level classes in the province of La Union were suspended in San Fernando City, Aringay, Bangar, Bauang, Balaoan, Bacnotan, Bagulin, Burgos, Caba, Luna, Santol, San Juan, Sudipen, San Gabriel and Tubao sourced out from their official announcements during our monitoring," said Philippine Information Agency (PIA) regional director Jennilyne C. Role.

Role also said that the LGUs of Agoo and Rosario suspended classes from preschool to senior highschool levels and Sto. Tomas from preschool to elementary levels only, and the LGUs of Naguilian and Pugo declared localized suspension in their areas.

The foot to a knee deep flooding in many parts of the city also effected the suspension of some national government agencies today such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Regional District Office 3, Social Security System (SSS), National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Consular Office La Union, Commission on Audit (COA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Private banks who are member of the La Union Bankers Association, Inc., all campuses of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in the province and the Metro San Fernando Water District (MSFWD) also pronounced deferment of work today.

Moreover, suspension of work in LGUs San Fernando, Bagulin and Bauang including the Provincial Povernment of La Union (PGLU) also declared suspension of work to give way to monitoring and assessment activities on the effects of the non-stop heavy rains in their respective areas of responsibility.

"During the monitoring, all disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) teams were on red alert during the onslaught of the monsoon rains as seen on the regular reports received from the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), the main operations center of the region," Role added.

As of 6 am today, PDRRMO La Union reported that a total of 43 families or 146 persons in Bauang town are being served inside different evacuation centers while 27 families or 96 individuals from San Fernando City are being served in different evacuations centers and the others are outside evacuation centers.

In a situation report of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 1 as of 9:00 in the morning today, all national roads and bridges are passable to all types of vehicles in the province of La Union. (JCR/AHFF/PIA1)