By I. Inojales | 08:49 PM February 03, 2026
A tropical depression entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday afternoon and was given the local name Basyang, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Pagasa said Basyang crossed into PAR at around 5:30 p.m. In its 5 p.m. weather bulletin, the weather bureau reported that the system was last spotted about 1,075 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao, moving slowly in a northwestward direction.
Basyang is currently packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour with gusts reaching up to 70 kph.
Pagasa added that the tropical depression may intensify into a tropical storm between Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday morning, Feb. 5.
