Death toll in Bicol hits 23 as 'Dante' exits

MANILA, Philippines – Tropical storm “Dante” (international name Kujira) intensified into a typhoon yesterday while on its way out of the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Dante, the fourth tropical cyclone to enter the Philippines this year, left at least 23 people dead and more than 48,000 families displaced in the Bicol Region.

Meanwhile, Pagasa weather branch chief Robert Sawi said another “severe tropical storm” spotted over the South China Sea might enter the Philippine area of responsibility later today or early tomorrow.

Sawi said the weather disturbance would be given the local name “Emong” once it enters the country.

The fatalities from Dante rose to 23 yesterday following the retrieval of three more bodies by the search and retrieval teams headed by Army soldiers.

The latest fatalities – Jerry Guardacasa, 37; Sonny Balquin, 32; and Anthony Hombre, 23 – were earlier reported missing after a landslide in the coastal barangay of Hubo, Magallanes, Sorsogon, according to Magallanes Mayor Abelardo Arambulo.

Chief Inspector Perfecto Rabulan, Magallanes police chief, said that most of the retrieved bodies were still wrapped in blankets or inside mosquito nets, indicating that they were fast asleep when the hill slope eroded and buried their houses.

At least 17 bodies were earlier dug up from the erosion debris in the landslide that was believed to have taken place between 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Saturday, while heavy downpour was experienced in Bicol where Dante remained stationary for almost four days until yesterday.

The landslide victims in Sorsogon were the families of Guardacasas with six members; De los Santoses with three members; Hicaps with two; Hilabs with two; and Balquins with two, records from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) showed.

Two were also reported dead in Camarines Norte, two in Camarines Sur, and one in Catanduanes. No casualty was reported in Albay.

Another weather disturbance

Sawi said based on latest forecast, Emong would make landfall over Luzon, particularly the western section of Central and Southern Luzon which includes the provinces of Palawan, Batangas, Cavite, Metro Manila, Pampanga and Zambales.

Sawi, however, said Emong would not affect the country in the next three days.

He said Emong would make landfall over Luzon by Friday or Saturday and bring heavy rains over these areas.

He said Emong is likely to reach typhoon category.

He said the weather disturbance remained stationary over the South China Sea. Sawi said if Dante pulls Emong up, the latter would likely move east-northeast or towards Luzon.

Sawi also said that the rainy season has not started and the summer season is not yet over.

“We are still in the summer season,” Sawi told The STAR. “We can still feel the heat.”

Sawi said based on Pagasa data, two tropical cyclones are expected in May.

Meanwhile, Sawi said Dante was spotted at 470 kilometers northeast of Virac, Catanduanes at 2 p.m. yesterday, packing winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph.

Dante is forecast to move east-northeast at 15 kph or towards Southern Japan.

Pagasa has lowered storm signals in all areas affected by Dante but some parts of the eastern provinces of Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Albay remain flooded.

More than 48,000 displaced

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported yesterday that 8,187 families or 48,645 persons coming from 89 villages were displaced by floods and landslides caused by Dante.

To date, 622 families or 3,302 persons are still staying at the nine NDCC-run evacuation centers while the rest opted to stay with their relatives and friends, the NDCC reported.

Meantime, some 1,320 passengers are still stranded at Pilar port in Sorsogon and 70 at the Tabaco City port in Albay.

Continued assistance

President Arroyo has ordered concerned agencies to extend immediate assistance to the victims of typhoon Dante.

Mrs. Arroyo issued the directive from Cairo, Egypt, where she is on an official visit, deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said yesterday.

“President Arroyo instructed the mobilization of agencies to support affected areas,” Fajardo said.

Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes yesterday asked the national government to extend assistance to the families affected by the tropical depression, which hit the province last Friday.

He also asked the public to offer special prayers especially for the souls of those who perished in the landslides and the floods brought by Dante.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continued to assist the local government units of Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Naga City, which were hardest hit by typhoon Dante.

Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said that as of yesterday, the DSWD has released P1,501,401 worth of food and non-food assistance to the affected LGUs.

Cabral said the DSWD Field Office V has coordinated with the Office of Civil Defense for the transport of relief commodities to Gigmoto and Baras in Catanduanes since sea travel is not yet allowed.

Cabral added that the DSWD has partnered with the National Food Authority and authorized LGUs and teams of DSWD-V to directly distribute 5,000 bags of rice worth P4.5 million to the victims.

The DSWD said that Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Sorsogon would receive 500 bags of rice each while Masbate and Naga City would receive 300 bags and 240 bags, respectively. The remaining 2,460 bags would be distributed to the local government units of Albay, Legazpi City, and Pilar in Sorsogon port.

P127-M worth of infra destroyed

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday estimated that P127-million worth of infrastructure were destroyed in the Bicol region, including six major road sections.

In a statement, DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said that among the non-passable road sections along Catanduanes Circumferential Road were the Paraiso, Summit-P. Vera, Baldoc Tariwara, Bocon-Milavia, Bocon Spillway, Minabobo Spillway, Panabanon-Caramoran, Cabungnahan Spillway and Putting Baybay-Malaviag-San Andres.

In Sorsogon, the Cawayan Bridge along Daang Maharlika Highway is also impassable due to washed out concrete pavement.

Motorists could not also use the road sections of Rawis Bridge, along Bacon-Manito Road and Magallanes-Donsol Road.

DPWH Undersecretary for Visayas Rafael Yabut, who has jurisdiction over the Bicol region, said that he would ask Ebdane if they could allocate P70 million of the government’s calamity funds to construct a road that was damaged by the floods.

Yabut said, “It appeared that the earth beneath approximately 70 meters of a road in Sitio Mararag in Barangay Guinlajon in Sorsogon was washed away by the flashfloods. It would take six months to complete the reconstruction of the road. Included in the P70 million is the road right of way. This is part of the Daang Maharlika road project.” - With Paolo Romero, Jaime Laude, Evelyn Macairan, Cet Dematera, Celso Amo, AP