5 dead as Metro picks up the pieces

MANILA, Philippines - Thousands of people displaced by floods triggered by Tropical Storm Mario returned to their mud-caked homes in Manila yesterday, as the official death toll in the metropolis and Rizal rose to five, excluding deaths in other provinces.

Heavy rains paralyzed the sprawling metropolis of more than 12 million people and nearby regions on Friday, with roof-high floods chasing 83,000 people from their homes, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

“We have no choice but to come back. We can’t afford to rent an apartment,” butcher’s wife Lovi Barbosa, 35, told AFPas she attempted to remove dirt from the floor of her home near a still swollen creek.

She said she and her five children, aged between two and 10, spent a sleepless night sat on the cold floor outside a tire repair shop because the local school was already full of similarly displaced neighbors.

At least 13 persons perished at the height of Mario’s onslaught in Metro Manila and Rizal (five) and the provinces of Cavite (four), Batangas (one), Quezon (one) and Camarines Sur (two), based on separate reports of disaster and police officials.

Among the confirmed dead were a University of Santo Tomas (UST) medical student and a hotel employee, who were both electrocuted along España Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila on Friday.

UST medical student Siegfried Nathan Arcilla, 22, of Barangay Socorro, Cubao, Quezon City, was walking outside the UST campus around 5 p.m. when he was electrocuted because of a dangling live wire from an electric post. Arcilla was declared dead on arrival at the UST hospital.

Meanwhile, Glendon Benedicto, 22, was on his way to work at the Sheraton Hotel when he tripped on a live wire on the corner of Maceda Street and España Boulevard around 9:30 p.m. First aid responders from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority tried to revive Benedicto and rushed him to the UDMC Hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.

Earlier, Far Eastern University (FEU) student Cedric Fabie was walking in front of UST’s Gate 1 facing España when he accidentally touched the lamppost around 2:30 p.m. Fabie was also taken to the UST hospital and was reported to be in critical condition.

Another FEU student, Ron Moreno, 18, was taken to the UST Hospital when he got electrocuted after touching a lamppost along Don Quijote Street also near España. He was reported to be in stable condition as of 2 p.m. yesterday.

Senior Police Officer 1 Richard Escarlan of the Manila Police District Station told The STARthat MPD’s homicide team rushed to the UST hospital Friday night after receiving the death reports, but they were stuck the whole night in Recto Avenue in Manila because of the flood.

In Quezon City, Althea Gaviola, 2, drowned after she fell into a swollen creek in Barangay Silanga in Fairview. Jay-Ar Taganas was also electrocuted in Barangay Apolonio Samson, Quezon City.

Meanwhile, Erlinda Centrino, 69, of Montalba Heights, Rizal died from head injury after a fall.

Provincial disaster officials in Cavite also reported that two persons died from drowning at the height of the flooding in Bacoor and Dasmariñas, while two more deaths were recorded in San Juan, Batangas and in General Luna in Quezon province.

The victims were identified as Jomar Kalinga of Barangay Bayanan, Bacoor; a certain BJ of Barangay Datu Esmael, Dasmariñas; an unidentified male victim whose body was washed onto the shorelines of Barangay Malaking Ilog in San Juan, Batangas; and Jayson Abrencillo-Daligdigan of Barangay Isidro, General Luna, Quezon.

In Camarines Sur, two casualties due to drowning in the flashflood were also reported.

Camarines Sur Provincial Police Office identified the victims as Conrado Bergonio, 61, of Barangay Amomokpok in Ragay town and Eduardo Lelis, 60, of Fabricante Street, South Centro in Sipocot.

Bergonio left his house to find his missing carabao early Friday. At around 8:30 a.m., he was found lifeless along a river by residents of Sitio Cauhagan in Barangay Apad in Ragay.

Lelis, on the other hand, left his house Thursday midnight to find his horse. He was found dead by a rescuer under floodwaters about 20 feet deep at 1:35 p.m. Friday at Triangulo Street, South Centro in Sipocot.

At least seven more persons were injured in Marikina City, Navotas, San Mateo in Rizal, and Candelaria in Quezon province as of yesterday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Foreign ship in danger of sinking

Meanwhile, all the 55 passengers and crew of the motorized boat that ran aground last Friday afternoon in Cebu were rescued, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

Clarin Cruiser departed from Pasil Wharf in Cebu at 3:25 p.m. Friday and was on its way to Getafe, Bohol. Upon reaching Cordova Point in Lapu-Lapu City, the boat was battered by big waves and strong winds, which prompted the boat captain to bring the boat to the shallow part of Cordova Point, causing it to run aground.

Rear Admiral William Melad said the PCG and the Philippine Navy successfully rescued 48 passengers and seven crewmembers from the boat at around 9 p.m. Friday and they were brought to the Naval Forces Central.

The PCG would wait for boat captain Raul Alipuyo to file his marine protest, a report detailing the events that led to the maritime incident. But Melad said Alipuyo would be investigated because the boat captain defied the order of the PCG not to sail.

The PCG, however, reported that the Panamanian vessel M/V Captain Ufukin Manila Bay is in danger of sinking and causing an oil spill after it was dragged to the shallow waters by big waves and strong winds.

“The vessel is now approximately at 60-65 meters away from the seawall. The vessel is in front of the Rajah Sulayman monument in Malate, Manila. Prior to last Friday’s incident, it was positioned at about 100 meters away from the seawall,” said PCG sub station head Senior Chief Petty Officer Edgar Tantiado.

Relief operations

The Philippine Red Cross (PCR), meanwhile, was tapped to help in the clearing operations in major thoroughfares.

PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said PRC volunteers were asked to clear debris and to hose down streets and roads to ensure the safe passage of pedestrians and motorists.

Gordon also said that over 600 people had been rescued by the PRC at the height of the typhoon. The PRC deployed amphibious vehicles in Marikina and Quezon City, which were among the most affected localities in the metropolis.

The PRC also distributed hot meals at the evacuation sites in Quezon City, Manila, Pasay and Valenzuela, benefiting some 6,000 displaced individuals. Welfare and first-aid stations were also set up to attend to the medical needs of the evacuees.

Vice President Jejomar Binay visited yesterday the typhoon victims evacuated to Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City. The victims are residents of low-lying areas in Quezon City.

The Office of the Vice President distributed 1,000 relief bags in Sto. Domingo Church; 500 in San Mateo, Rizal; 500 in Parañaque; and 500 in Maricaban, Pasay. Binay also sent rescue teams to Araneta Avenue, Cainta and Valenzuela.  – Jaime Laude, Rey Galupo, Evelyn Macairan, Jose Rodel Clapano, Sheila Crisostomo,