'Hanna' leaves RP, claims 12 lives

The death toll in the aftermath of tropical storm "Hanna" (international code name: Lekima) swelled to 12 as of Monday morning, even as authorities continue to search for missing fishermen in Manila Bay. GMA News Unang Balita reported that three bodies were recovered from surging waters of the Pasig River. The victims's names were not disclosed. In Ifugao province, missing resident Henry Linglingon, 55, was listed as among the fatalities in Saturday night's landslide in Hingyon town. This brought the number of fatalities there to nine. The other victims in Ifugao are: Erma Hiadan, 50; Ruby Manwong, 6; Megan Manwong, 4; Johani Manwong, 2; Julia Linglingon, 52; Hiadan Cupilyo, 80; Joel Linglingon, 27; and Rommel Linglingon, 30. A nine-year-old boy Denver Bogbog was injured in the incident and was reported as undergoing medical treatment at the Ifugao Provincial Hospital at Sunday afternoon. The landslide happened about 10 p.m. at Barangay (village) Upper Pitawan in Hingyon town where the victims live. As this developed, Coast Guard officials told GMA News that their field personnel have yet to locate a boat that capsized in Manila Bay last Saturday. Also on Saturday, 35 employees of the United States Embassy in Manila were stranded in the scenic Corregidor Island amid strong waves brought about by "Hanna." GMA News said they have already been taken out of the island and are now in safe hands. As this developed, a tornado hit Jordan town in the Visayan province of Guimaras, damaging two pumpboats. No casualties were reported. Calina said that aside from Hingyon, a landslide was also reported in Barangay Ginaang in Pasil, Kalinga, which affected 350 families or 2,100 persons. No casualties were reported in the said incident. But three houses were partially damaged in Pasil, as well as farm-to-market roads, pathways, and roads worth about P10 million. Moreover, the heavy rains wrecked two irrigation systems in Lubuagan town in Kalinga – the Wa-it Communal Irrigation that costs about P100,000, and the Tab-Taba Communal Irrigation that costs about P 80,000. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) did not post a tropical cyclone warning on Monday morning as "Hanna" was already headed for Vietnam. However, it spotted a shallow low pressure area 620 kms east of northern Luzon. The southwest monsoon also affected Central and Southern Luzon and Western Visayas. It similarly warned seafarers against the surge of strong southwesterly winds in the western seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon and Visayas. Easterly to northeasterly winds were also expected over the northern seaboards of Northern Luzon. - GMANews.TV