'Maring' death toll rises to 11

The death toll from tropical depression "Maring" (international code name: Mujigae) jumped to 11 Friday night, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. In its 6 p.m. report, the NDCC said eight of the fatalities were from Central Luzon, while two were from Southern Luzon and one from Ilocos. Of the 11 fatalities, the latest included Erica Gonzales, 6, of Pampanga; and Jacob Bada Jr., 42, of Zambales. Both victims drowned. Three security guards of a mining firm in Botolan, Zambales - Celso Metran, Amor Metran and Patricio Diaz - who were earlier reported missing were found dead.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV At least three remained missing, including two from Ilocos and one from Metro Manila. These include Jonalyn Bayno, 19, of Quezon City; Edzel Sy, 26, of Ilocos Norte; and Henry Narido, 32, of Agno in Pangasinan. The NDCC said "Maring" had affected at least 81,186 families or 364,953 people in 347 villages in 31 towns and two cities in Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, and Laguna. Of these, 1,088 families or 4,184 people are now in 11 evacuation centers. At least 32 houses in Bataan and Laguna were damaged. Damage to property rose to P300.041 million, including P63.353 million in damage to infrastructure and P236.688 million in damage to agriculture. Meanwhile, the NDCC also said the Candaba-San Miguel Road and Baliuag-Candaba-Sta. Ana Road in Pampanga were not passable to all types of vehicles. Several roads in Zambales, Abra and Kalinga were also closed to traffic.

Rains to continue While “Maring" has left the country, the active low pressure area (ALPA) east of Luzon continued to inch closer to land. In its latest bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration spotted the ALPA 320 kilometers east of southern Luzon. Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms are expected all over the country, with widespread rains particularly in eastern Luzon. Affected communities in central Luzon continued to suffer from deep and raging floods. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Thursday travelled to her province of Pampanga to bring relief goods for victims of the typhoon. A state of calamity has already been declared in Olongapo City in Zambales where over 100,000 residents experienced the wrath of “Maring." Placing an area under a state of calamity allows the local government to use its calamity fund to aid typhoon-hit communities. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV