NORTHERN LUZON TOWNS ISOLATED
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - Stranded commuters walk on a washed out portion of Marcos Highway on
their way to Baguio City yesterday. Several roads leading to the north were
damaged by landslides triggered by typhoon ‘Pepeng.’ Andy
Zapata Jr. MANILA, Philippines]
MANILA, OCTOBER 13, 2009, (STAR) By James Mananghaya - The aftermath of typhoon “Pepeng” has left several towns in northern Luzon isolated due to floods and landslides, leaving 193 people dead and damage to crops and infrastructure estimated at over P5 billion.
Several areas in Northern Luzon, particularly the Cordillera region, remained isolated yesterday due to landslides that blocked major roads going to Baguio City and other key areas.
The three major roads going to Baguio were closed due to about 40 landslides.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro earlier reported that Kennon Road, Marcos Highway and Naguilian Road going to Baguio City were not passable to all types of vehicles due to landslides.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which had been working overtime to repair damaged roads in the region, announced at 4 p.m. yesterday that Kennon Road was already passable to light vehicles only.
The Marcos Highway, on the other hand, would be opened on Tuesday, DPWH officials said.
There was no announcement, however, on the status of Naguilian Road but disaster officials stressed efforts to open up the road are still underway.
Since the bridge linking Sison town in Pangasinan to Rosario in La Union was damaged, motorists heading for Baguio City were advised to take the road through Urdaneta, Manaoag, San Jacinto, and San Fabian before going to Damortis town in La Union.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the onslaught of Pepeng in the region left 134 people dead in Benguet, nine in Pangasinan, one in Ilocos Norte, 38 in La Union, two in Ifugao province, three in Nueva Ecija, one in Quezon province and four in Camarines Sur.
Initial reports from the field, however, said the total death toll might climb to over 200.
The NDCC also reported a total of 101 persons injured and 46 still missing.
The estimated cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture in the region reached P5.08 billion.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director Olive Luces said 39 landslides occurred in the Cordillera region isolating major population centers, including Baguio City.
Luces said the DPWH is working round the clock to clear the landslides blocking Naguilian Road. She said DPWH personnel have to remove boulders “as big as cars.”
Luces said the landslides had cut some portions of the highway, which made it more difficult to restore the roads.
Transport firms have agreed to pool their resources to transfer commuters from one bus to another. Commuters going up to Baguio City and down have to negotiate the treacherous terrain of loose rocks to board another bus waiting for them on the other side of the road.
Luces said government agencies and volunteers are working hand in hand to clear up the roads for delivery of much-needed relief goods.
She said the US military is helping in the efforts by flying relief goods to Baguio City.
Teodoro also announced the roads in Camiling, Tarlac as well as the national highway in Urdaneta and Binalonan going to Manaoag in Pangasinan are already passable.
However, some major roads in the region, particularly in the towns of La Paz, Moncada, Paniqui and San Manuel in Tarlac are still underwater.
All major roads leading to Cagayan Valley, on the other hand, have been restored, officials added.
The province of Pangasinan, meanwhile, is still reeling from the widespread floods brought by Pepeng.
Disaster officials said 70 percent of the province is still underwater, isolating major population areas and several towns.
The heavy rains brought by Pepeng forced the San Roque Dam to release excess water that inundated 70 percent of the province.
Officials said the initial damage on crops and infrastructures left by Pepeng could reach P221 million.
A total of 13 people perished in the floods, according to disaster officials in the province.
Two power transmission towers also toppled during the floods, rendering the towns of Alcala, Bautista and Bayambang without electricity.
Power and communication lines were also cut in La Union and the rest of Region II and Central Luzon, making it difficult to confirm reports of casualties and injuries.
Officials of Region I, comprising the provinces of Pangasinan, La Union, and the Ilocos provinces, reported a total of 49 people had perished during the storm.
Officials in Cagayan region, on the other hand, said 76,000 families have been affected by the storm. Pepeng also destroyed P2.2 billion worth of crops, they said.
Teodoro said efforts are underway to rehabilitate damaged areas in Central and Northern Luzon.
“We need and we have just to rebuild. We have to rebuild because productivity will also suffer. We have to focus on rehabilitation but we still don’t know how much because we have to assess (the damage),” Teodoro said.
Teodoro said the country sustained P15 billion worth of damage from the two storms Pepeng and “Ondoy.”
He said the partial assessment of damages brought by Pepeng along could reach more than P5 billion and could go higher.
Teodoro said rehabilitation efforts would continue while providing relief and assistance to all affected residents.
Pepeng had been hanging over northern Luzon for almost a week after initially arriving as a typhoon on Oct. 3.
The tropical storm, which had been downgraded from a super typhoon, hit the country exactly one week after tropical storm Ondoy dumped the heaviest rains in more than four decades in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, killing more than 300 people. –With Helen Flores, Eva Visperas, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Charlie Lagasca, Roel Pareño