Baguio placed under state of calamity: 15 dead, 13 hurt in typhoon aftermath

BAGUIO CITY – This mountain resort was declared under a state of calamity by the city council after devastation caused by Typhoon “Kiko” which caused the death of 15 persons and injuries to 13 others.

At press time, one pocket miner was still missing following a landslide triggered by the typhoon but the body of a man was found in the Bued River in Rosario, La Union Thursday morning.

The search for miner Cipriano Millet, aided by military K9 rescue dogs, was seven straight days from creeks in Barangay Kias, Baguio to downstream of Bued River in Tuba, Benguet to Camp 1 in Rosario town.

Tuesday afternoon, the decomposing body of John Guinoban, of Sadanga, Mountain Province, was found on the banks of the Bued River.

This brought number of miners who died in the landslide triggered by typhoon “Kiko” to 13 leaving Millet the only one missing.

Benguet police said it would continue to look for Millet, hoping he is alive. Authorities have yet to find clues on the identity of the man whose body was found Thursday.

The council resolution declaring the city in a state of calamity would enable the city government to use calamity funds for relief operations and for rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures.

A report by the Office of Civil Defense in the Cordillera stated Baguio and Benguet bore the brunt of strong winds and heavy rains, which triggered many landslides in the different barangays.

The list of the dead victims included three Piska children — Edu, 13, Cris, 12, and Michael, 7, whose house at Camp 8, Kennon Road was buried by a huge landslide.

The resolution placing the city under a state of calamity also allows the city government to use its resources for geohazard mapping.

This is intended to ascertain the cause of the huge cracks on the ground in Pinsao Proper and parts of the city.

The city government has P50 million in calamity funds at its disposal. Residents of barangays hard-hit by the typhoon and landslide will be given assistance for repair of their damaged houses.
Aside from the three children, the 12 other fatalities in the city were pocket miners whose makeshift camps were buried by landslides.

These were located at the boundary of Kias, Baguio City, and the towns of Itogon and Tuba, Benguet.

At press time rescuers were still trying to find the missing miner.

The death toll has risen to 13 after the decomposing body of Joel Caligdan, a miner from Isabela, was found in a river in Tuba before noon August 10.

Cordillera disaster officials led by Chief Sup. Orlando Pestano, regional police director expressed hope Millet could still be alive. – With reports from Dexter A. See