ShareThis‘Basyang’ death toll rises to 38, 47 missing
July 16, 2010
QUEZON CITY (PinoyNews) –
(Workers cut a fallen tree and a concrete electric post that
block a major road Wednesday, July 14, 2010 in Manila, Philippines.)
Residents of Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon have been told to brace for brownouts as power transmission facilities destroyed by typhoon “Basyang” were being fully restored. This developed as the typhoon death toll rose to 38 with 47 still missing.
Damage to properties, agriculture crops, fisheries, schools and other infrastructures was placed initially at P150 million in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. The typhoon lashed Metro Manila and nearby provinces Tuesday and Wednesday triggering floods and Luzon-wide brownouts which persisted up to the whole day of Wednesday, bringing the metropolis to a stand still.
Many international and domestic flights were also cancelled or diverted to Cebu City or Clark. The mass transport LRT and MRT also stopped due to the power failure. Hundreds were also stranded as boats and ships anchored in the wake of the typhoon.
(RALLYING THE FIL-AMS. Former Senator Manuel ‘Mar’ Roxas II stresses a point during the Overseas Pinoys Conference on Good Governance at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City. Listening are lawyer and Philippines Today columnist Rodel Rodis, Fil-Am leader and lawyer Loida Nicolas-Lewis and Vicky Garchitorena of the Ayala Foundation. (Photo by George G. Gange))
President Benigno Aquino II fumed at weather forecasters and government officials for allegedly faulty typhoon warning. Aquino said that more instruments to make the forecasts accurate and more frequent than the every-six-hours schedule will be acquired and installed soon. Most of the fatalities were from Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon and Bicol region. The typhoon also triggered the suspension of classes in pre-elementary, elementary and high school levels and eventually the colleges and universities due to absence of electricity in the schools. As of last Thursday, 81 to 90 percent of the Luzon grid had been restored, according to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) which planned to pass on to electricity consumers the cost of repairing its transmission facilities damaged by typhoon “Basyang.”
The NDCC came under fire for very slow pace of restoration of electricity supply angering millions of affected consumers that they now question the performance standards set for the transmission firm under a tariff setting sanctioned by performance-based regulation. Damage to agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure in four regions due to “Basyang” (international name: Conson) has reached P147.556 million, said the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) on Friday. In its latest report, the NDCC said that the damage to roads, bridges, schools and health facilities in the National Capital Region, Regions 4-A (Calabarzon), 4-B (Mimaropa), and 5 (Bicol) was at P75.822 million. A total of 23 schools were affected in the provinces of Rizal, Laguna, Marinduque, Camarines Norte and in Muntinlupa City here in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, damage to the agriculture and fisheries sectors was estimated at P71.734 million. At least P15.512 million worth of rice and corn crops and P33.545 million worth of fruits and vegetables were destroyed by Basyang. The vegetables included 71,274 metric tons from 207 hectares of farm land in Laguna and were valued at P1.398 million. The fishing industry also incurred P22.68 million in damages in the affected regions, the NDCC said.
A total of 2,591 houses were totally destroyed by Basyang in Regions 3, 4-A, 4-B and 5 while 16,067 were partially damaged. The affected population has reached 30,644 families or 153,426 persons from 411 affected villages from the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes The number of fatalities Bataan due to the onslaught of typhoon “Basyang” went up to 14 on Thursday as three more bodies of drowning victims were retrieved.
Four persons, meanwhile, remained missing after turbulent waves caused by strong winds brought about by the typhoon hit fishing boats and even big cargo vessels in the vicinity of the waters of Mariveles at dawn of Wednesday. Supt. Rommel Velasco, Mariveles police chief, identified the dead as LPG tanker Deborrah I captain Efren Ledesma, 59, of Antipolo City; FB Rick Mill Roy Capt. Rodolfo Bustamante, 60 and crew Rodrigo Dualan, 57; both of Naic, Cavite; fisherman Alex Perpena, 26, of Camaya, Mariveles; Joven Aban of Breakwater, Mariveles, Leoncito Umpad of Navotas, Metro Manila;
Apad Capellan of FB Alicia, Nathan Nepril, Noel Saloman, Marcelo Avila, Eduardo Carreon, Reggie Nodalo, Perfecto Fajardo and Vivencio Borbarona.
Crews of destroyed fishing vessels recounted that the wind was so strong and the waves so turbulent between 3 to 4 a.m. Wednesday. Police said some fishing boats were hit by big cargo vessels that snapped from their anchor in the deep portion of the sea towards the seawall, causing them to capsize.
In another incident that occurred at 3:30 p.m. of July 14, the two fishing boats F/B Joan and F/B Godswill 1 capsized in the vicinity of Balesin Islands located between Polilio Island and Atimonan, Quezon province.
A total of 15 fishermen were on board the two fishing boats and the PCG managed to rescue one person identified as Wendel Alvarez. Balilo said that four fishermen died and the other 10 have yet to be found. In Tinambac, Camarines Sur, the PCG said that four fishermen identified as Julian Curiad, Lito Oreta, Eddie Oreta, Sisong Dy were reportedly on board an unknown vessel and have been reported missing since noontime of July 13.
Five persons identified as Marjon Salvador, 16; Janiper Barea, 48; Eric Jorin, 25; Henry Villanueva, 39; Roberto Cabero, 52 encountered problem.