After ‘Santi,’ NDCC to focus on rehab work

After Typhoon Santi (international name: Mirinae) battered portions of Luzon over the weekend, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) on Monday said it would focus its efforts on helping the victims restore their lives. Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, NDCC spokesperson, said the body would likewise zero in on towns in Laguna that are still flood-stricken. "Karamihan po kasi, ang pinagtutuunan ng pansin ay yung pag-baha sa Laguna. Sa lugar ng Sta. Cruz, sa Pagsanjan, sa Lumban, sa Los Baños (We are focusing on flooded areas in Sta. Cruz, Pagsanjan, Lumban, and Los Baños in Laguna)," Torres said in an interview on GMA’s Unang Hirit. He added that the NDCC and its regional offices were able to mitigate Santi’s devastating effects because they were able to implement preemptive measures. Because Santi is the fourth tropical cyclone to visit the country for the month of October, the NDCC said they have been used to making preparations. "May naka-preposition na na relief goods sa ibang rehiyon kaya wala masyadong pino-problema (We were able to pre-position relief goods in some regions, that’s why we are not worrying about a lot of things)," Torres noted. The official said they are still determining the amount of damages wrought by the typhoon, which had already exited Philippine territory and weakened into a tropical storm. Torres said only Camarines Norte‘s local government has reported that their province suffered P15.6 million worth of damages.

As of Monday morning, the NDCC’s tally of deaths caused by Santi has climbed to 16. Four people were injured while four others are still missing. The fatalities were identified as:

• Tirso Ramos of Cavite
• Roderico Cabardo, Edsel Loviña, Margie Taliño, and Julieta Zaguire of Laguna
• Edwin Cayapas of Quezon province
• Dodoy Delabajan and Vergel Zuniga of Rizal
• Analiza dela Cruz, Jose Eboña, Flora Estacion, Maria Ferrer, Rodrigo Rodriguez, Rasco Rogelio, Sarah Mae Vargas of Camarines Norte
• Louie Alano of Catanduanes

The NDCC said about 11,158 families or 54,630 people were affected in Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, Metro Manila and the Bicol Region. A total of 3,924 families or 19,356 people are still taking refuge in 103 evacuation centers across the said regions, the NDCC said. - GMANews.TV