Typhoon ‘Ineng’ deaths rise to 15

The number of deaths caused by typhoon “Ineng” (international name: Goni) rose further to 15 on Sunday as authorities retrieved more bodies from a landslide-hit part of Mankayan, Benguet, authorities said.

Armando Dayao, Felimon Adcapan, and Jasper Olivarez’s bodies were retrieved from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, after Crispin Ablao was retrieved Saturday afternoon, Benguet provincial police spokesperson Senior Inspector Joyce Ann Dayag said.

All four were among a group of people who went missing after a landslide hit Sitio Elizabeth, Brgy. Taneg, early Saturday.

A landslide washed out shanties used by pocket miners in that area around 3 a.m., Cordillera regional police spokesperson Superintendent Cherry Fajardo said.

After Ablao’s body was retrieved past 2 p.m., residents told police that they were still looking for 18 people.

Search and recue operations had to be halted around 5 p.m. Saturday because of rising water level at the nearby creek, poor visibility, and heavy rain, Fajardo said.

Operations resumed Sunday morning, with 95 policemen from different units deployed, Dayag said.

Dayao, Adcapan, and Olivarez’s bodies were eventually retrieved while Jonie Foster and Marpety Bayagen, who had been among those reported as missing, were found alive, she said.

“Both persons (Foster and Bayagen) were confirmed alive. Accordingly, they went home before the incident happened,” Dayag said.

Thirteen people are still missing in the area as of Sunday afternoon, data provided by the Benguet provincial police showed.

They are Ronaldo Angel, Paulita Angel, Ronald Paul Angel, Hohn Aluyan Jr., Jose Aluyan Jr., Efren Balicdan, Mark Balicdan, Nardo Mocnangan, Marvin Baturi, Harold Baturi, Rocky Mangrubang, Crisanto Ablao, and Ramil Reyes.

Andrew Alex Uy, Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera director, confirmed Ablao, Dayao, Adcapan’s deaths in a report emailed Sunday afternoon.

Olivarez’s death has yet to be included in the regional civil defense unit’s list.

Uy, meanwhile, confirmed a death in Tabuk City, Kalinga.

Julius Gumisa’s body was retrieved 11 a.m. Sunday in Brgy. Suyang, Tabuk, after he went missing in Brgy. Caluttit, Bontoc, Mountain Province, the regional OCD chief said in his report.

Gumisa was the lone fatality of drowning in Cordillera, while the rest died in landslides, according to the report.

Landslides occurred as the mountainous region experienced 721.6-millimeter rainfall, or 78.43 percent of the monthly average 920mm, from August 20 to 23.

“The soil is already saturated,” Uy said.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said close to 33,000 persons in Cordillera, Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa fled their homes amid landslides, floods, and tornados at the height of “Ineng.”

Some 12,510 persons went to evacuation centers while 20,407 stayed at the home of relatives. Out of the total number of displaced persons, only 8,426 were evacuated ahead of the storm, the NDRRMC noted.

Incidents caused by “Ineng” also destroyed at least 958 houses in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cagayan, Batanes, Benguet, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Laguna.

The typhoon has also caused at least P124.818 million worth of damage to agriculture and infrastructure in Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera, according to the NDRRMC. (John Roson)

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4 dead, 4,000 affected by floods, landslides in Central Mindanao — OCD

Four persons were killed while almost 4,000 were affected by floods and landslides caused by heavy rain in four provinces of Central Mindanao, authorities reported Thursday.

Floods and landslides affected 43 barangays in nine towns and two cities of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, and Sarangani, said Minda Morante, director of the Office of Civil Defense-12.

Tupi town of South Cotabato and Brgy. Rajah Muda of Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, declared a state of calamity because of the floods, Morante said in an emailed report.

Couple Nonoy, 74, and Monita Ga, 71, of Brgy. Bunao, Tupi, South Cotabato; Diron Tamarang, 70, of Brgy. Lunen, also in Tupi; and Anita Ochova, 63, of Glan, Sarangani, died in landslides caused by heavy rain, she said.

Five persons, identified as Mercy Magbanua, 27; Kathlyn Magbanua, 1; Jay Argal, 24; Cristy Ochova, 31, and one Jojit Mangisel were injured, she said.

Of the 3,985 individuals affected by floods, 1,798 were evacuated and are currently staying in barangay halls, daycare centers, gymnasiums, and homes of relatives, Morante said.

Most of the evacuees came from Tacurong City and Isulan, Sultan Kudarat; Koronadal City and Tupi, South Cotabato; and Glan, Sarangani.

Floods also left at least four bridges impassable to motorists and caused at least P6.9 million in damage to agriculture, Morante said.

More than 500 hectares of rice fields, more than 80 hectares of cornfields, and at least 7.5 hectares of fishponds were damaged because of the floods, which also left at least 50 farm animals dead or missing, she said.

Heavy rains brought by an intertropical convergence zone hit South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, and Sarangani from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning, causing the floods, according to Morante.

Local governments are now providing relief goods to the evacuees and are still monitoring the situation in affected areas, she said. (John Roson)

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9 workers still buried in Leyte landslide – police

At least nine workers at the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) geothermal power field in Kananga, Leyte, remain buried in a landslide that has so far left five people dead, police said Saturday.

Search for the missing victims resumed 9 a.m. Saturday after being stopped 5:30 p.m. Friday due to heavy rain, Senior Insp. Antonio Angcay, officer-in-charge of the Kananga Police, said by phone.

“Wala pang nakukuha, clearing operation pa lang… pahinto-hinto kasi umuulan,” said Angcay, who is supervising the police’s search and retrieval team at the site in Upper Mahiao, Brgy. Lim-ao.

Other EDC workers, firefighters, and civilian volunteers from Ormoc City are also involved in the search, he said.

In a report sent to the Leyte Provincial Police, Angcay said 10 people in the EDC’s list of workers remain unaccounted for.

The 10 were identified as Marlon Buanghong, Uldarico Taburansa, Salvador Yabana, Jordan Salcedo, Edgardo Cabarsi Sr., Salvador Lascañas, and Fredo Arabis, “Belly” Abella, Danny Mabute, and a certain Yasar.

Angcay, however, noted that one of the 10 could be the still unidentified fatality who was pulled out of the rubble on Friday along with four others.

Four of the five fatalities recovered on Friday were identified as Bonifacio Polinio, Joel Milay, Abelardo Permangil, and Etchield Dela Austria, he said.

Twelve survivors, identified as Edgar Bregildo, Joel Salondro, Romeo Binondo, Felipe Jaba, Jiovanni Perez, Remerito Manawataw, Benjie Lenterio, Romelo Basan, Jobert Auman, Mario Serguida, Roldan Rios, and Alemar Aseo, are still being treated at the OSPA and Clinica Gatchalian hospitals in Ormoc City.

All victims are workers of JE Construction, which was contracted by First Ballfour to build anti-erosion railings, or “ripraps,” along the mountainous road leading to the EDC worksite, Angcay said.

Meanwhile, Angcay revealed that the 10:30 a.m. landslide also damaged the pipeline which EDC was using to draw steam from the earth.

Part of the steam pipeline “exploded” after a “mountain” about 30 meters high collapsed on it and the workers, the police official said in his report.

Two weeks of intermittent rains triggered the landslide, the EDC said in a statement. (John Roson)

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Close to 8,000 evacuated due to Caraga floods

Some 7,914 people have been evacuated in different areas of Caraga due to floods caused by heavy rain from a low pressure area (LPA), a civil defense official said.

At least 6,854 people have been evacuated in Butuan City, 935 in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur, and 125 in San Luis, Agusan del Sur, Office of Civil Defense-Caraga director Blanche Gobenciong said.

Floods caused by the LPA have already affected at least 2,427 families or 9,840 people in the region, she said.

Those affected are from Butuan City, Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte; San Luis, Agusan del Sur; Malimono, Surigao del Norte, and Lanuza, Surigao del Sur.

Butuan City is on “Alert Level 3” because waters of the Agusan River, whose basin includes the city, have risen to 2.78 meters above sea level.

In Lanuza, a landslide caused an estimated P1.5 million worth of damage when it wrecked the science laboratory of the Nurcia Integrated School, Gobenciong said. (John Roson)

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2 killed, 8 missing due to storm ‘Ofel’ (Son-Tinh)

Two persons were reported killed while eight others remain missing as tropical storm “Ofel” (international name: Son-Tinh) slammed into several provinces in central Philippines and Metro Manila on Thursday, authorities said.

Ruben Tabura, 66, died after being buried in a landslide while fetching water from a river in Brgy. Jaclupan, Talisay City, around 3:30 p.m., Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, Cebu Provincial Police director, said in a text message.

A certain Sophia Recto reportedly died of hypothermia in Marinduque, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Among the missing are fisherman Jonrey Acaso, 28, who set to sea from Pintuyan, Southern Leyte, on Monday and Jonny Ocson, 8, who went swimming at a beach in Odiongan, Romblon, on Wednesday.

Also missing are Muhammad Kanape Guiamad, 11, who went swimming at the Tamontaka River in Cotabato City, and Rigel Saycon, 18, of Dumanjug, Cebu, and two other persons in General Santos City, the NDRRMC said.

Still not included in the NDRRMC’s list are fishermen Christopher Maranan, 24, and Eric Presto, 15, both residents of Brgy. Cuta, Batangas City. The two were last seen 3 a.m. Thursday, according to the Batangas Provincial Police.

In its 5 p.m. report, the disaster agency said nine people, including three whose boat capsized near Tacloban City, Leyte, were still missing.

But Senior Supt. Romulo Cleve Taboso, Tacloban City police director, said the three, identified as Clemente Umban Sr., 50; Ariel Posto, 23; and Olavit Posto, 12, have been able to return home.

The three took shelter on Dio Island and were confirmed to be back at their homes in Sitio Costa Brava, Brgy. San Jose, Thursday morning, Taboso said in a text message.

Southern Luzon, Visayas bear brunt

On Thursday, strong winds and rains brought by “Ofel” hit Quezon, Batangas, Masbate, Romblon, Marindue, Mindoro Island, Pnay Island, and Cebu, after the storm passed through Mindanao and Eastern Visayas.

The town of Bantayan experienced big waves while Tudela reported a power outage and Talisay City, the landslide, Comendador said.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama ordered the suspension of classes at all levels in the city, according to the NDRRMC.

In Masbate, strong winds and waves destroyed three houses in Dimasalang and six fishing boats in Placer, Supt. Jeffrey Fernandez, deputy provincial police director, said.

Quezon experienced “continuous” rain but no storm-related incidents have been reported as of Thursday afternoon, provincial police director Senior Supt. Valeriano de Leon said.

Earlier, the NDRRMC reported that 296 families or 957 people in Maasin City and St. Bernard of Southern Leyte, as well as Palo, Burauen, and La Paz of Leyte fled their homes due to floods.

Landslides occurred in Bontoc, Southern Leyte, affecting roads and bridges, according to local police.

Floods occurred in Brgys. Lagao and Baluan of General Santos City, prompting at least seven families to evacuate, the NDRRMC said.

Metro Manila hit too

Rains also hit Metro Manila from early morning Thursday up to the evening, causing floods in several roads, according to police.

Gutter-deep floods occurred along Sipac st., Almacen, and M. Naval in Navotas City; Nascano st. of Brgy. Tugatog, Malabon City; Pasong Tamo and Pasong Tirad sts. of Makati City, but all remain passable to vehicles, the National Capital Region Police Office reported.

No other storm-related incident has been reported so far in the metropolis.

16,000 stranded in ports, 20 flights cancelled

Some 16,473 people remain stranded Thursday in ports in Cebu City, Tagbilaran City, Dumaguete City, Matnog and Pilar of Sorsogon, Cagayan de Oro City, Surigao City, Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Caticlan of Aklan, Roxas City of Capiz, Batangas, and Mannila, according to the Coast Guard.

Sea travel is still suspended to prevent maritime disasters, according to the agency.

Thousands of airline passengers are also stranded as more than 20 flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have been cancelled. (John Roson)

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11-year-old girl killed in Davao City landslide, 10 houses destroyed

An 11-year-old girl was killed while up to 10 houses were destroyed when a landslide hit a mountainside village in Davao City early Monday following heavy rains, officials said.

Liza Mazo, head of the Office of Civil Defense 11, said the girl was a resident of Sitio Ladian, Brgy. Marilog, where the landslide occurred 3 a.m.

“May 11-year-old girl doon sa area, natabunan siya nung landslide,” Mazo said in a phone interview.

Senior Supt. Ronald dela Rosa, city police chief, said members of the local 911 rescue team recovered the body of Johara Maladatu Unad around 7 a.m. and brought her to a funeral parlor in Calinan district.

“Ten houses, including [a] multi-purpose building, were totally damaged with a still unestimated cost,” Dela Rosa said in a text message.

Mazo said rains have been pouring intermittently in the city’s mountainous areas since last week.

“Dun sa taas malakas ang ulan the night before (the landslide), hindi naman successive nights umuulan pero last week pa may ulan na,” she said. (John Roson)

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48 dead, 100 feared missing in quake-hit Negros Oriental

One hundred more people are feared buried in a landslide triggered by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Negros Oriental, which may cause casualties to increase, a civil defense official said Tuesday.

Minda Morante, director of the Office of Civil Defense 7, said the landslide in Brgy. Solongon, La Libertad, covered more than 40 houses and people living nearby could only give estimates.

“Nag-eestimate sila ng 100 persons ‘yung natabunan,” Morante told reporters in a phone interview.

The official, however, said they still do not consider the figure “official” as the earthquake happened at a time when residents are usually out of their homes for work.

48 dead, military says

Colonel Francisco Zosimo Patrimonio, commander of the Army’s 302nd Brigade, said fatalities, mostly caused by the landslide in La Libertad and Brgy. Planas, Guihulngan City, yesterday increased to 48.

In Brgy. Planas, 29 houses with 30 persons are still buried while in Brgy Solongon, La Libertad 60 houses with 42 persons remain under the rubble, Patrimonio said in a text message, citing field reports.

Helicopters conducted an aerial surveillance Tuesday to give authorities a clear picture of the landslides’ magnitude, Morante said.

Food shortage felt

Meanwhile, the regional civil defense chief said a food shortage is being experienced in Guihulngan City as big stores and markets remain closed amid continuing aftershocks.

“Problema talaga ang pagkain, isa yun, dahil hindi nagbukas ang mga tindahan. Takot sila, ‘yun ang problema natin,” she said.

“Marami rin sigurong nasira sa mga paninda nila so hindi sila nag-open ngayon, especially ngayong pagyanig eh napapadalas.”

Delivery of supplies are also being hampered as only light vehicles are allowed to pass damaged bridges and roads, she said.

‘Tent city’

Aftershocks, including a “strong one” that occurred Tuesday afternoon, have also forced residents not to return to their homes and stay in tents, according to Morante.

“Nag-tent city ‘yung mga tao kasi ayaw nila bumalik sa mga bahay nila, dahil nga sa takot. Kahit pa i-convince natin sila dahil yun yung naramdaman nila, mahirap pilitin,” she said.

There was still no electricity in Guihulngan City and some areas of La Libertad as of Tuesday noon, she added. (John Roson)

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43 dead as quake hits Visayas, Mindanao

(AS OF 8:30 p.m.) Forty-three people got killed while several infrastructure and establishments were damaged when a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit several of Visayas and Mindanao Monday noon, authorities said.

Twenty-nine people were killed when the quake triggered a landslide at Sitio Moog, Brgy. Planas, of Guihulngan City, Negros Occidental, Col. Francisco Zosimo Patrimonio, commander of the Army’s 302nd Brigade, said.

Ten other people were killed when walls and other structures collapsed in different parts of the city, while four others were killed in Tayasan (2), Bindoy (1), and Jimalalud (1), he said.

At least three bridges in the province were seriously damaged and are now only passable to light vehicles.

“Looting (is) now rampant in Guihulngan City, and forced us to commit a team for peace and order (to help) the police,” Patrimonio said.

About 100 houses were covered by another landslide in Brgy. Solongon in La Libertad town, which is just adjacent to Guihulngan City, he said.

The military has yet to determine how many people were trapped in Brgy. Solongon as rescue operations are ongoing, but the incident will “most probably” cause the number of casualties to rise, Patrimonio said.

The first fatality, Bernadeth Raidan, 9, had just gone out of her classroom to have lunch when a wall of the Brgy. Matuog Elementary School collapsed on her, PO2 Bernard Erojo, communications officer at the Tayasan Police Station, said in a phone interview.

“Wala nang mga estudyante sa school after that, kasi may mga aftershocks pa, hanggang ngayon meron pa,” Erojo said when contacted past 2 p.m.

The second fatality, identified as Grade 6 student Anafe Estrabella, got killed in Brgy. Mompong, Jimalalud, when the the wall of a chapel she was in collapsed, according to a report from the Central Visayas regional police.

A 69-year-old woman identified as Betty Yap Manzano died in Guihulngan, PO2 Bobby Fulmaran, of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police, said.

A three-storey building in La Libertad “totally collapsed” while five cottages at the Comendador Beach resort were wiped out due to a sudden rise of seawater, according to another police report.

Buildings, houses, bridges, and roads in Guihulngan City and Jimalalud suffered cracks, the report added.

“‘Yung mga daan nagkabitak-bitak, ‘yung hagdan ng aming police station nagkabitak-bitak, at may isang tulay na na-damage, pero passable pa naman,” Erojo said.

Senior Supt. Erson Digal, Central Visayas regional police operations chief, said people in Cebu City panicked after false information about a government-issued tsunami alert spread.

“Parang nag-Sinulog ‘yung mga tao dito, naglabasan ng mga building dahil dun sa information na ‘yung tubig ay umabot na sa city proper, we are advising them to keep calm because these are false information though there was really a tsunami alert,” Digal said.

In Negros Occidental, the quake destroyed the glass windows of the Unitop mall in San Carlos City, Office of Civil Defense administrator Benito Ramos said.

Police in the province asked the military to conduct aerial surveillance after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a “tsunami alert No. 2” was issued for Negros Island, Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, Negros Occidental provincial police director, said.

“We received reports from the towns of Calatrava, Toboso, and San Carlos City that seawater was seen receeding, that’s a sign of a possible tsunami,” he said.

Several areas in Panay Island, including Iloilo province, mostly experienced Intensity 4, but no damage has so far been reported, according to Ramos.

The earthquake was also felt in Iloilo City, prompting policemen at the regional police camp to go out of their buildings, Supt. Ranulfo Demiar, Western Visayas regional police operations chief, said.

People inside the SM mall located about 1-kilometer from the camp reportedly panicked during the temblor.

“Nagbabaan sila lahat nung mall, kasi malakas talaga ‘yung pag-uga, dahil Intensity 5 dito sa Iloilo City,” Rosario Cabrera, director of the Office of Civil Defense-6, said.

Electricity was shut down by the city government shortly after the earthquake but was restored past 2 p.m. “It (power shutdown) was a precautionary measure to assure that no other disaster will happen,” Cabrera said.

Policemen were sent out to check if there were damages or casualties, Demiar said.

Intensity 4 was also felt in Cebu, as well as in Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte, where the flood-hit cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro are located, but there were no casualties or damages, Ramos said. (John Roson)

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Hundreds, including tourists, left stranded by Aklan landslide

Landslide in Brgy. Libertad, Nabas town. (Photo courtesy of Aklan PNP)

Hundreds of people, including foreign and local tourists, were stranded when a landslide hit a portion of the highway in Nabas, Aklan, leading to Boracay Island, Monday afternoon, police said.

Mud and rocks fell around 1 p.m. along National Highway in Brgy. Libertad, Supt. Ranulfo Demiar, operations chief of the Western Visayas regional police, said.

“Ten to 15 meters of the highway was covered by the mudflow. No vehicles can pass, both coming in and out of Caticlan, Malay,” Demiar said in a text message.

Stranded people, including foreign tourists, climb over the debris to catch up with their schedule. (Photo courtesy of Aklan PNP)

“Kung bibilangin natin, more than 100 vehicles, including tourist buses and passenger vans, ang nade-delay, naka-line up lahat. Maraming tourists going to and from Boracay ang affected,” Senior Insp. Reynante Matillano, Nabas Police chief, said by phone.

Heavy equipment from the provincial government were sent to clear the debris.

As of 5 p.m., one lane of the highway has been cleared so vehicles are now taking turns in passing through, Matillano said. (John Roson)

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Families flee landslide in Cebu City

At least 20 families were evacuated when a landslide caused by rains hit a village in Cebu City early Thursday, police said.

The families were evacuated to the gymnasium of Brgy. Buhisan around 3:10 a.m. due to rocks and soil that fell 80 to 100 feet above their houses, Senior Supt. Melvin Buenafe, Cebu City Police director, said.

Fortunately, no houses were hit and there were no casualties, Buenafe said in a text message.

The debris, however, fell on the road between the houses and the nearby ravine, giving motorists a hard time passing through, he said. (John Roson)

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