NDRRMC: Death toll from floods rises to 18

The death toll from floods that hit parts of Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao in past weeks rose to 18 as of Tuesday night from 10 last Monday evening, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. In its 6 a.m. Wednesday update posted on its website, the NDRRMC said the latest fatalities were mostly from the Mindanao area. The fatalities as of latest NDRRMC count are: Southern Luzon One in Barangay (village) Pongpong Sta. Maria town; two in Manito town and one in Legaspi City, all in Albay province. Visayas Three in Barangay Bolodbolod, St. Bernanrd town; one in Brgy Pancho Villa in Sogod town; and one in Brgy Maanyag, Tomas Oppus in Southern Leyte. Mindanao One in Brgy Lower Sagadan, Baroy town in Lanao del Norte; one in Mt. Diwata, Compostella Valley; two in Brgy Maibu in Butuan City; one in Tubod, Surigao del Norte; one in Bislig City Surigao del Sur; one in Brgy Patin-ay, and one in P-2 Brgy Magsaysay in Prosperidad Agusan del Sur; one in Purok 4 Libertad, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. Among the latest fatalities were:

• Dioscoro Albiro and Shielo Carrido of Malibu village in Butuan City;
• Roberto Dalangin of Tubod village in Surigao del Norte;
• Roberto Rebasora of Bislig City in Surigao del Sur;
• Rogelio Madelo from Patin-ay village in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur;
• Jonas Caan from Pongpong village in Sta. Maria, Davao del Sur;
• Dondie Carl Bolante from Magsaysay village in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur;
• Michael Rodrigo Otero from Libertad, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.

Reported missing was fisherman Patricio Pergrino Jr., 56, of Sta. Cruz village in Virac, Catanduanes in the Bicol region. He was reported missing since Jan. 1, after strong waves caused his sibid-sibid (outrigger boat) to capsize off San Pablo village in Virac. The injured were identified as Cherry, Elvia, Jerry and Jimboy Lakipon, all of Bolobolod village in St. Bernard town in Southern Leyte in Eastern Visayas. At least 85,795 families or 443,911 people in 486 villages in 80 towns and six cities in 19 provinces had been affected by the floods, the NDRRMC said. Some 38 houses were destroyed while 59 were damaged. Damage to agriculture, infrastructures The NDRRMC said 10 villages in Tubod in Lanao del Norte in Mindanao suffered some P3.627 million in damage to crops, livestock and fisheries. Some 627.5 hectares of seedlings and newly transplanted rice and vegetables in Albay in Bicol were affected, it added. Meanwhile, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said their initial estimated damage to infrastructure in Bicol was at P60 million. Singson is in Bicol to assess the damage to property caused by the floods. He will return to Manila and then head for Mindanao to assess the damage there. “We are watching heavily populated areas like Legazpi City and Tabaco in Albay. These are also centers of commerce, the activities there should not grind to a halt)," he said in Filipino in an interview aired on dzRH. He also said the DPWH has instructions in St. Bernard town in Southern Leyte to make sure all the roads remain passable for relief and possible evacuation efforts. Singson said they are coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development on the matter, and will deploy dump trucks for relief and evacuation efforts. "I ordered that kung kulang (if our trucks are not enough), we can engage the private sector (we can hire) heavy equipment just to make sure they remain passable," he said. In Region 11, the national highway along San Jose, Monkayo; Barangays Cambagang and Poblacion, Maragusan and Barangays Cogonon, New Bataan are not passable and road along Brgy. San Roque, New Bataan, Compostela Valley is scoured. Roads along Brgys. Pongpong and Buca, Sta. Maria, Davao del Sur are not passable to all land vehicles. — LBG, GMANews.TV