12 DEAD AS TYPHOON 'PEPENG'
RETURNS
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - Police teams help rescue workers tow vehicles covered in mud
following a landslide at Km 3 in La Trinidad, Benguet yesterday.
Andy Zapata Jr. | MANILA, Philippines]
MANILA, OCTOBER 9, 2009 (STAR) By Artemio Dumlao and Cecille Suerte Felipe - The return of storm “Pepeng” left 12 more people dead in separate landslides that struck the provinces of Benguet and Palawan yesterday.
Initial reports said six people, including two children, a 28-year-old mother and her two-year-old daughter, perished in separate landslides that struck the towns of Mankayan and Tublay in Benguet province.
Six health workers who were trapped inside a municipal health office of Taytay town in Palawan that collapsed Wednesday were found dead by rescue teams yesterday.
Officials said the heavy rains induced by the storm for the past few days caused the soil around the health center to erode and cave in.
The six fatalities were identified as Nimpha Porras, Elmie Doria, Josephine Genanda, Cresilda Satungcal, Marjorie Dacillo, employees of the municipal health office of Taytay, and a certain Chemelyn Gamarcha who was only visiting the center at the time.
In Mankayan, cousins Jolina Mae Capia-ao Astudillo and John Kennedy Capia-ao Fagsao were killed after a landslide buried their house at Upper Guiwe, Barangay Tabio early yesterday.
An employee of the Benguet Provincial Engineering Office identified as Danny Cuyupan also perished when he was buried in mud while helping clear roads in La Trinidad.
Vehicles that were parked along the roads leading to La Trinidad were also swept away by the landslides and mudflows.
Apart from Cuyupan, there were no reports of additional casualties or injuries.
At the same time, 28-year-old Deborah Buyayo, who was two months pregnant, and her two-year-old daughter Shandel were buried in a landslide in Tublay town, Benguet.
The Benguet police also reported the body of a high school student identified as Antoleen Kimmayong was retrieved from the landslide that struck Barangay Abatan in Buguias town.
The heavy rains brought by Pepeng rendered roads in the provinces of northern Luzon impassable due to landslides and mudflows.
In Baguio City, families living in City Camp Lagoon were forced to evacuate when floodwaters rushed in.
The Cagayan Valley became isolated as all roads leading to the region were hit by landslides.
A bridge leading to Carrangian town in Nueva Vizcaya was washed away while a portion of the national highway leading to the entire region of Cagayan went underwater, rendering it impassable to all types of vehicles.
Landslides and mudflows also blocked the Nueva Vizcaya-Benguet highway leading to Baguio City.
The state weather bureau said Pepeng would bring more rains in the region, including provinces in Central Luzon and Pangasinan in the next two days.
Pepeng continued to linger over Isabela province as of 4 p.m. yesterday.
It was last spotted some 60 kilometers south of Tuguegarao City, packing winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) deputy administrator Nathaniel Cruz said Pepeng was expected to move west slowly.
Cruz warned residents living near the Agno River, Cagayan, Pampanga and Abra river basins to evacuate as massive flooding is expected.
He said the Pantabangan Dam is expected to release water that would affect the towns of Rizal, Bongabon, General Natividad, Palayan City, Cabanatuan City and Sta. Rosa in Nueva Ecija.
Residents in areas near the Magat dam in Isabela, including the municipalities of Ramon, San Mateo, Aurora, Cabanatuan, Luna, Reina Mercedes, Burgos, Naguilian and Gamu were also advised to evacuate.
Susan Espinueva, officer in charge of Hydrometeorological Division of Pagasa, said the increase in the outflow of Binga dam in Benguet necessitated the further increase in the outflow of San Roque dam in Pangasinan.
Espinueva said the areas that are likely to be affected in Pangasinan are the towns of San Manuel, San Nicolas, Tayug, Sta. Maria, Asingan, Villasis, Alcala, Bautista, Rosales and Bayambang.
“The slow movement of Pepeng is detrimental to the watershed,” Espinueva said.
Pagasa said a gradual improvement in the weather is expected on Sunday as Pepeng is expected to finally exit the country toward the South China Sea.
Last weekend, Pepeng (international name Parma), categorized as a super typhoon, made landfall in Cagayan before moving to Ilocos Norte.
A high-pressure area off Hong Kong apparently prevented the exit of Pepeng and caused it to linger over Northern Luzon. –With Helen Flores, Charlie Lagasca, Arnell Ozaeta, Ed Amoroso
Foreign donations for 'Ondoy' victims still pouring in By Rudy Santos (The Philippine Star) Updated October 09, 2009 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Foreign donations continue to pour in for victims of tropical storm “Ondoy.”
Ondoy dumped the heaviest rains in more than four decades in Metro Manila and outlying areas, killing at least 298 people and displacing some three million residents. More than 300,000 people are staying in evacuation centers desperately needing basic supplies like food and water.
Italy sent generators, water tanks and other non-food items to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) yesterday morning.
Twenty-three generators were turned over by Ambassador Rubens Anna Fedele with Dr. Leandro Zontini and Alfredo Moretti from the Italian embassy.
“There were still many communities and evacuation centers without electricity. We cannot say when the electricity will be back in these areas. We will put up generators in evacuation centers and communities without electricity so that people there may continue with their daily living,” the PNRC said.
The Italian embassy also donated eight water tanks and water pumps to provide potable water to evacuation centers and communities without water.
“We have already put up water bladders, which can contain 10,000 liters of potable water with tap stands in seven evacuation centers in Metro Manila. Yet there is still an increasing demand for potable water from other evacuation centers and with these water tanks, we will be able provide other evacuation centers with potable water,” the PNRC said.
Italy also donated 900 kitchen sets, 4,200 blankets, three inflatable boats, 3,000 jerry cans or water containers and other non-food items such as clothes, shoes, towels, and sanitation materials.
Italy has also allocated 50,000 euros to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) Disaster Response and Emergency Fund.
Brazil also turned over their donation of $70,000 for Ondoy victims.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo acknowledged the Brazilian government’s donation during a call by Brazilian Ambassador Alcides Prates.
Brazil responded to the UN Secretary-General’s call for international humanitarian aid for the victims of Ondoy.
The donation is being coursed through the UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Country Director in the Philippines. The Brazilian embassy in Manila is coordinating with these offices on the nature of assistance to be earmarked from the donation.
Meanwhile, the Korean government announced an additional funding of $250,000 for Ondoy victims, bringing its total to $600,000.
The Korean National Red Cross donated cash equivalent to approximately $50,000 to the PNRC.
Yoido Full Gospel by Senior Reverend Lee Young-hoon through the Korean NGO Good People, also donated emergency relief goods equivalent to $200,000. Good People conducts international development assistance activities.
Aside from the Korean government, OIC Co. Ltd. chairman and CEO Mr. Lee Soo-young donated $50,000 cash to the PNRC to contribute to the humanitarian relief and rehabilitation of the victims affected by Ondoy and “Pepeng.”
Meanwhile, Hewlett Packard Co. Foundation announced that it has made a donation of P16 million to the American Red Cross International Response Fund to assist with disaster relief efforts in the wake of Ondoy.
Government welcomes UN’s flash appeal
The government welcomed yesterday the Flash Appeal issued by the United Nations calling on the international community to extend emergency assistance to the Philippines.
“We welcome and support the Flash Appeal issued by the United Nations to help our fellow Filipinos who have been victims of typhoon Ondoy. The Philippine government is grateful for the help being extended to us by the United Nations in these trying times.
“We particularly extend our gratitude to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for his and the UN’s assistance and quick response,” said Foreign Affairs Secretary Romulo.
Romulo met with the UN Secretary General, Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, and other UN officials last Sept. 28 to relay President Arroyo’s appeal for international humanitarian assistance following the devastation caused by Ondoy.
During their meeting, the UN Secretary General stated that the UN would consider issuing a flash appeal to both member states and international NGOs.
The United Nations said a request has been made to the Central Emergency Response Fund to address the most urgent needs, while the international humanitarian community including NGOs, the International Organization for Migration and United Nations agencies, are seeking $74,021,809 to address the immediate needs of approximately one million typhoon victims.
US military contingent to leave
US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said yesterday some of the US troops assisting in the ongoing humanitarian operations in areas devastated by tropical storm Ondoy in Metro Manila and nearby provinces would leave the country tomorrow as the emergency winds down.
In a radio interview over dzRH, Kenney said the US military assistance will end tomorrow with some of the troops to return to the military base in Japan but the other personnel will stay in the country to participate in the forthcoming RP-US joint military exercises dubbed as Phiblex (Philippine Bilateral Exercises).
“They’re actually leaving on Saturday because the emergency part is winding down. The AFP, after a few more days of work, can handle the rest that needs help. Our military assistance part will end on Saturday and some of them will stay for the exercises at Fort Magsaysay that they’re planning to do. The rest will go back to Japan,” Kenney said.
Kenney said she saw the Filipino traits of being appreciative and resilient in the evacuation centers she visited.
“I visited other relief centers in other places around the world and the difference is really the Pinoy character. On the first days I visited an evacuation site I expected people to be tired, angry, depressed and I saw people who are happy, who wanted to shake hands, to say hello, very resilient but also I have to say very appreciative,” she added.
She said people were coming and stopping US military members to say thank you.
“And I think that’s a great national characteristic, resilient, but also to appreciate when people help you. It’s the bayanihan spirit. I was really impressed with that,” she said.
During their brief stay here, the US troops conducted five medical and dental missions treating 4,000 sick evacuees as well as performing 320 dental extractions of displaced residents in the flood-stricken areas of Marikina, Pasig, Cainta and outlying municipalities.
The US troops also distributed 151 goodwill boxes composed of 730 boxes of clothing, 2,357 family food packs and 654 cases of drinking water to residents displaced by the widespread flooding in Metro Manila. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Jaime Laude