Rescuers not giving up

NEW BATAAN, Philippines – As residents waited here for the arrival of President Aquino yesterday, bodies could be seen sticking out from under logs and debris in a mound of mud near the crowded makeshift grandstand.

Even as the death toll from mudslides and floods hit 418, authorities refused to give up on 383 people still missing in the aftermath of typhoon “Pablo.”

“Probably half of the missing could be dead by now,” Compostela Valley Gov. Arturo Uy told Reuters.

But he added, “Up to now, we are not discussing stopping (the search). There are still survivors in barangays, which we couldn’t reach immediately.”

As residents started burying their dead in this town, the hardest hit by Pablo, rescuers continued scouring remote areas for possible survivors.

The President is set to declare a state of national calamity, which would empower the government to enforce price controls and release funds expeditiously.

Ordering authorities to prioritize search and rescue for the missing, Aquino visited this town and other areas badly hit by the typhoon.

Aquino said he had to consult concerned Cabinet members before declaring a state of calamity.

“That’s the last procedural step before I can make that (declaration),” he said.

Aquino noted that even before the declaration of a state of national calamity, several provinces already declared a local state of calamity – “and the major advantage (of it) is they are able to access the calamity funds to address the needs that they already have.”

“There’s already a discussion on advancing for instance the IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) disbursement so that they can utilize them also for their needs sooner rather than the usual end of the month release for the second tranche,” he said.

The President made the statement during an interview with reporters following a briefing with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in Davao City. It was the NDRRMC that recommended the declaration of a state of calamity.

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang, who was traveling with the President, tweeted that Aquino would make the declaration of a state of calamity upon his return to Manila.

The last time a state of national calamity was declared was on Dec. 20, 2011, by virtue of Proclamation No. 30 signed by Aquino in the wake of the devastation caused by tropical storm “Sendong,” also in Mindanao.

Under a state of national calamity, the government can also grant no-interest loans, appropriate calamity funds, enact supplemental budgets, authorize rice importation and provide hazard allowance for public health workers and science and technological personnel of the government.

Overwhelmed

In the continuous tally of the dead and the missing, national and local disaster officials are overwhelmed by the massive destruction left by the storm which, as of yesterday, already breached the P4-billion mark.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Davao region reported 223 deaths in Compostela Valley alone, while a total of 216 bodies were retrieved in the massive search and retrieval operations in the typhoon-ravaged Davao Oriental.

On top of this, the NDRRMC also recorded 35 deaths in other areas along Pablo’s path, with Palawan registering two fatalities; Capiz in Western Visayas with one; Central Visayas, seven; two from Eastern Visayas, 11 from Northern Mindanao and 11 from the Caraga region.

The NDRRMC also said provincial and local officials are having difficulty processing the recovered bodies as most remained unidentified as of yesterday.

Awaiting identification by their surviving relatives are the 110 bodies that were retrieved underneath the flashflood debris in New Bataan; 21 from Compostela; 10 from Montevista, all in Compostela Valley; 27 in Boston town in Davao Oriental and nine from the Caraga region.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported two children drowned in Palawan during the onslaught of Pablo in the province.

The Philippine Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Philippine National Police all deployed assets for search and rescue.

The NDRRMC also reported that 383 people are still missing in wide areas of Mindanao and the Visayas, while 64,692 families or a total 310,620 individuals have been displaced in the calamity-stricken areas.

These displaced families are currently staying at 569 government-run evacuation centers, the NDRRMC said.

The NDRRMC also said a total of 10,320 houses were totally destroyed while 5,530 sustained partial damage.

Regional and local officials said P4-billion worth of infrastructure and agriculture were destroyed by Pablo. The amount is expected to further move upward when the total damage reports are tallied.

The massive destruction to government infrastructure like destroyed roads, bridges and buildings has been estimated at P630.97 million, with the agriculture sector incurring the heaviest losses at P3.365 billion while P5.4 million worth of private properties were also destroyed.

Excluded in this initial damage estimate are the massive devastation left by Pablo in Caraga and the worst-hit Davao Oriental.

The Department of Public Works and Highways said some damaged bridges would have to be rebuilt, meantime “temporary bridges will be provided to restore access to some areas.”

In Davao del Norte, farmers lost P8-million worth of rice and other crops due to flooding, while some P3.4 billion in rice, corn, coconuts, high-value crops like coffee, vegetables, rubber and cacao, as well fisheries were lost in Compostela Valley. –  With Aurea Calica, Jaime Laude, John Unson, Evelyn Macairan, Ramil Bajo, Ben Serrano