Five Ifugao towns still cut off; CL towns underwater: 'Pedring,' 'Quiel' killed 58, displaced nearly 3M people

By MaribelleDulnuan-Bimohya, Liam Anacleto and Jerry Padilla

A total of 58 people have been confirmed killed, 34 people missing and nearly three million people were affected by the two typhoons that slammed into Northern Luzon a few days ago.

The National Risk Reduction and Management Council said the death toll from "Pedring" (Nesat) has climbed to 55 as of press time while three people have been confirmed killed by typhoon "Quiel" (Nalgae).

The agency said a total of 582,626 families or 2,725,023 individuals were affected by "Pedring" that slammed into the Cagayan-Isabela areas early Tuesday while a total of 35,677 families or 158,140 people were affected by "Quiel" that slammed into the same area Oct. 1.

The NDRRMC added that at least P8.8 billion worth of infrastructure, including roads, bridges and houses and crops were damaged by "Pedring."

This, as the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Cordillera said its personnel were working to open sections of the road linking Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao and Mt. Province, the Banaue-Mayoyao-Aguinaldo-Isabela Road, the Guihob Arco Bridge along the Banaue-Mayoyao Road and a section of the Banaue-Hungduan-Benguet Road.

Ifugao Gov. Eugene M. Balitang announced Friday the new Burnay (Dugong) compact 200 Bridge will be open to vehicles by 10 am this Sunday, Oct. 9.

During the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council meeting held at Camp Joaquin Dunuan in the capital town of Lagawe, Balitang thanked DPWH District 1 Engineer Eugene Batalao for a fast work done. “It is worthy to note that the bridge was installed in less than ten days.”

Office of Civil Defense reports said, 10 other mountain roads in Apayao, Kalinga, Mt. Province and Benguet were closed last week due to landslides.

But roads to Baguio City were opened and used by truckers ferrying vegetables from Benguet farms through the Halsema Highway to Metro Manila, the OCD said.

This, as supplies were reportedly dwindling in Ifugao even as Ifugao Rep. TeodoroBaguilat Jr. said “an obstacle course of large rocks, fallen trees and slippery and muddy roads” from Kiangan town to Solano, Nueva Vizcaya made travel hard.

Baguilat was home to bury his father and had been busy with family affairs when Pedring veered toward Ifugao.

He said power was cut in Kiangan (Baguilat’s hometown). Fuel for generator sets that kept the provincial government and hospitals open during the onslaught of Pedring has reportedly run out with absence of fuel hampering clearing operations.

The provincial government headed by Gov. Balitang earlier said the province’s fuel supply would not last beyond a week and grocery stocks were being rationed to last for two weeks.

Balitang said Pedring damaged P138 million worth of crops in Ifugao.

He added landslides claimed four lives in Hingyon town, including two children.

Sixteen people were hurt from typhoon-related incidents while another person was reported missing.

When Quiel struck, 11 more people were hurt, reports from Baguilat’s office showed.

Photographs by the provincial government showed the collapsed Burnay Bridge in Kiangan town and residents crossing the river through shallow sections. Balitang earlier asked the provincial engineering office to put up a 74-meter footbridge.

Olive Luces, OCD director in the Cordillera, said relief workers had sent fuel trucks to Ifugao through alternate roads.

“The Banaue-Lagawe Road, which usually takes 45 minutes to traverse, was blocked by 10 major slides. Commuters had to hike for two hours [on Thursday] to reach Lagawe,” Board Member Robert Mangyao said in the provincial government report.

Meanwhile, reliefg and rescue operations continue for residents in Central Luzon, particularly in Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac, where several barangays remained submerged in deep floods caused by heavy rains brought on by the two typhoons.

PAGASA said that only four water dams in Luzon, including Ambuklao, Binga, San Roque and Magat, were releasing water late last week.

Angat Dam, although its water level remains above normal, has stopped releasing water.

Its current water level was 213.44 meters or 3.44 meters above the normal level of 210.00 meters.

Residents and local officials of Bulacan have blamed the massing flooding in the province last week to the release of water from Angat and Ipo dams.
s
However, authorities said that the main cause of flooding in the province was the overflowing of the Angat and Pampanga rivers.

Several towns in Central Luzon still remained flooded as of press time even as five towns of Ifugao in the Cordillera remained “closed” as a result of Typhoons“Pedring” and “Quiel.”