'Juaning' death toll rises to 35

MANILA, Philippines - Four persons, including two policemen, who were helping stranded motorists on the highway were killed after a landslide buried a portion of the road in Aguinaldo, Ifugao as the toll from tropical storm “Juaning” has risen to 35 dead, 36 injured, and 25 missing.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the Cordillera identified the fatalities as Senior Police Officers 2 Jeff Domingo and Jimmy Agwit, and civilians Boy Machingi and Dino Nabban.

OCD-Cordillera director Olive Luces said the police officers were helping employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources whose vehicle got stuck in the muddy road when the landslide occurred at Sitio Nailagna, Barangay Galonagon in Aguinaldo town last Wednesday afternoon.?Luces said rescuers recovered the bodies of the police officers and the two other victims only yesterday morning.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and OCD chief Benito Ramos said the additional fatalities were buried alive in a landslide in Ifugao yesterday.

The rest of the fatalities came from the Bicol region with nine fatalities in Albay, six in Catanduanes, one in Camarines Sur and seven in Camarines Norte, one from Iloilo, one in Siquijor, one in Las Piñas, two in Cavite, two from Quezon province and one in Marinduque.

Ramos said the victims either died from drowning, were hit by falling trees, landslides or electrocuted at the height of the storm.

Catanduanes officials have placed the province under a state of calamity.

The NDRRMC said 27 others are missing: one in Romblon, two from Catanduanes, three in Albay and 19 in Masbate.

Officials of the NDRRMC said Juaning affected 130,225 families or 648,362 residents in the Ilocos region, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Metro Manila and Bicol.

“A total of nine bridges in regions I, II and V, and 22 roads in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, the Cordillera Autonomous Region are still impassable due to flooding, landslides and mudflows,” Ramos said.

Ramos expects heavy damage to the agricultural sector because of the widespread flooding in rice and corn fields in Northern Luzon.

Juaning exits Phl

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that Juaning maintained its strength as it moved away from the Philippine area of responsibility yesterday.?PAGASA said the storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 120 kph, was moving west-northwest at 24 kph.?Juaning is expected to be 560 kms west northwest of Laoag City or 310 kms south southeast of Hong Kong yesterday evening. It will be 270 kms southwest of Hong Kong this morning.?Juaning was the 10th tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and the fourth weather disturbance this month.

PAGASA said the weather disturbance would continue to enhance the southwest monsoon and bring rains over the western sections of Luzon and the Visayas in the next few days.?This developed as tropical storm “Kabayan” entered the Philippine territory over the western Pacific Ocean yesterday afternoon.?PAGASA supervising undersecretary Graciano Yumul said Kabayan was forecast to move northwest but is expected to veer northeast toward Japan.

“This weather disturbance is too far to directly affect any part of the country,” PAGASA said.?Yumul said rains will continue to prevail over the western seaboards of Luzon and the Visayas until Sunday due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by Juaning.?“From Monday to Tuesday next week, western Luzon, particularly southern portion, and the Visayas will be wet due to the southwest monsoon sucked by Kabayan,” Yumul said.?As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Kabayan was spotted 1,000 kilometers east southeast of Catarman, Northern Samar with maximum winds of 65 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.?It was moving northwest at 15 kph.?It is expected to be 790 kms east northeast of Catarman, Northern Samar this afternoon; 710 kms northeast of Virac, Catanduanes tomorrow afternoon; and 800 kms east northeast of Tuguegarao City by Sunday afternoon.?The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed yesterday three patrol boats and two aircraft to join the search and rescue operations for the 19 fishermen that were reported missing last Tuesday off Masbate and Romblon.

PCG spokesman Lieutenant Commander Algier Ricafrente said Admiral Ramon Liwag ordered the deployment of sea and air assets to search for the crew of fishing boat F/B Hope Christy that capsized last July 26.

“On day 2 of our search and rescue operations, we deployed PCG’s Tugboat Habagat that came from Batangas, the BRP EDSA from Palawan, and the BRP Corregidor from Manila. We also dispatched our PCG helicopter and our islander to conduct reconnaissance operations around the area, since they could cover a wider area,” said Ricafrente.

He added they would also send Special Operations Group (SOG) divers and a medical team to the site.

The PCG said 13 fishermen have been rescued while 19 remain missing.

The latest rescued fisherman was identified as Arnel Aceboque. Local fishermen from Masbate rescued him last July 27.

In a short interview conducted by PCG Petty Officer 2 Rene Apuya, Aceboque said their boat was anchored between Sibuyan Island, Romblon and Mandaon, Masbate when they were battered by big waves and strong winds that caused their vessel to break and capsize.

Magat Dam releases water

Magat Dam officials in Ramon, Isabela have released some 174 cubic meters per second volume of water from its reservoir yesterday morning in order to prevent the dam from overflowing after the water level reached 187 meters or six meters below the 193-meter spilling level.

Magat Dam’s Instrumental Section head, Engr. Salvador Tenedor, said some 1,000 cubic meters per second volume was released yesterday to maintain the normal 180-meter water level height.

At least nine towns in Isabela have been alerted for possible floods as the Magat Dam started releasing excess water accumulated from Juaning’s rains.

Residents living along the downstream were alerted for possible flashfloods as a result of the released water from the dam.

Besides Ramon town where part of the more than three-decade-old Magat Dam lies, other municipalities advised to be on alert were Aurora, Reina Mercedes, Burgos, San Mateo, Gamu, Cabatuan, Luna and Naguilian. – With Helen Flores, Artemio Dumlao, Charlie Lagasca, Raymund Catindig, Ric Sapnu, Manny Galvez, Dino Balabo