NEW BATAAN: The death toll from Typhoon Pablo (international codename: Bopha) reached 238 on Wednesday afternoon as rescuers struggled to reach areas hit by floods and mudslides in search for hundreds of missing people.

Last Tuesday, the typhoon slammed onto the eastern portion of Mindanao where it ravaged thousands of homes, toppled trees and destroyed infrastructure and farms with its powerful 210-kilometer per hour (kph) gusts.

A total of 142 people died and 241 others were missing in the Mindanao mountain town of New Bataan, according to Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza, who added that 81 others were killed in the nearby province of Davao Oriental and 15 in other areas.

In New Bataan town the military saw flash floods and mudslides.

Calamity fund
President Benigno Aquino 3rd was scheduled to visit the areas hardest hit by the calamity as he announced that at least P8 billion is ready to be spent on rehabilitation efforts.

In an ambush interview, the President said that the government’s priority is rescue and care and that Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd is in Mindanao to personally see to it that the victims are taken care of.

The President added that these funds are revenues from unexpected sources, including the proceeds from the recent sale of the Food Terminal Inc. complex in Taguig City.

“So [Department of Budget and Management] Secretary [Florencio] Abad informed me last night that there is at least P8-billion ready to take care of all of the expenses necessary here and also in the necessary emergency infrastructure—‘yung mga roads that were closed, etcetera, kung may damage. There is sufficient fund at this point in time,” he stressed.

Ripped apart
Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman and other officials described scenes of utter devastation with houses and other structures in some towns and villages ripped apart by the most powerful storm to hit the country this year.

“There are very few structures left standing in the town of Cateel. We need to rush to these areas body bags, medicines, dry clothes and most importantly tents, because survivors are living out in the open after the typhoon blew away homes and rooftops,” she said.

“The bodies are left lying on the ground in the open in New Bataan and we don’t want to risk the spread of disease,” Soliman added.

The New Bataan dead included a soldier who was taking part in rescue operations, Roxas said. Six other Army personnel from the same unit were missing and three were injured.

“It is quite sad and tragic. They were actually there to be ready to help our countrymen in trouble,” Roxas said.

The military was scrambling helicopters and heavy equipment on Wednesday to the mountain town, where rainwater had gushed down from nearby slopes, creating a deadly swirl of water, logs and rocks that crushed everything in its path.

Logs and boulders blocked the narrow mountain pass leading to the town, said Major Gen. Ariel Bernardo, commander of an army division in the area.

Parts of Mindanao remained without power and telephone services, with food and clean water in limited supply.

Cateel and two other towns on Mindanao’s east coast remained cut off due to a collapsed bridge and fallen trees and debris blocking roads, said Corazon Malanyaon, governor of Davao Oriental province where Pablo made landfall.

She said rescuers were using everything from their bare hands to heavy equipment and chainsaws to clear the roads.

“It’s like we’re running an obstacle course,” Malanyaon said on local radio.

“About 95 percent of the town center’s structures including hospitals, private homes, private buildings had their roofs blown away,” she said.

The military, she added, was also “a victim of the storm” after an army patrol base and a rescue truck were washed away in New Bataan.

Most powerful
The typhoon is so far the most powerful to hit the country this year, forcing nearly 100,000 people to seek refuge in emergency shelters, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Benito Ramos also on Wednesday gave a smaller casualty figure since not all of the reports had been verified.

However, Ramos confirmed that most of the casualties were in Compostela Valley while the rest were in Misamis Oriental, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon and Siquijor.

He denied earlier reports that 33 soldiers perished in the flash flood in New Bataan and stressed that “in fact only one soldier died” whom he identified as Staff Sgt. Maximo Alvarez of the Charlie Co., 66th Infantry Battalion.

He cautioned those from the field to be careful in the dissemination of the number of casualties, injured and missing, saying that inaccurate figures would do more harm than good, distressing victims’ families.

“There is a process of confirmation. It is highly possible that the [unofficial] figures coming from the ground were counted twice,” Ramos pointed out.
 
Slightly weakened
When the typhoon made landfall at 4 a.m. on Wednesday in Northwest Palawan it had slightly weakened. It carried a maximum sustained winds of 130kph near the center and gustiness of up to 160kph, moving northwest at 24kph.

Northwest Palawan, including the Calamian Group of Islands, were placed under storm warning Signal No.3.

Under Signal No. 2 were the rest of Palawan, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Bohol, Siquijor, Southern Cebu, Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental; and Signal No.1 for Ocidental Mindoro, including Lubang Island, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Aklan, Capiz, the rest of Cebu, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental Zamboanga del Norte and Camiguin.

The typhoon, according to NDRRMC reports, has affected 132 barangays, 58 municipalities and 8 cities in 13 provinces of Regions VIII, X, XII and Caraga.

A total of 24,380 families, or 120,667 people have so far been evacuated. Of the number, 17,678 families, or 86,912 were inside evacuation centers.

The Department of Health (DOH), on the other hand, said that it has sent a team to Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental to distribute body bags.

Health officials advised the local governments and other agencies not to place lime on the dead bodies because it would speed up the deterioration of the skin, including that of the fingers which would be used for identifying the dead later.

No politics
Mr. Aquino 3rd also urged officials not to politicize relief efforts or use disasters like Typhoon Pablo for politicking.

“Umaasa ako sa kooperasyon ng bawat munisipalidad sa bansa, huwag po sana nating pagsamantalahan ang mga pagkakataon tulad nito para mamulitika, o magpapogi para sa susunod na eleksyon [I expect the cooperation of all municipalities: let us not take advantage of disaster situations to engage in politics or earn brownie points for the next elections],” the President said in his speech keynoting the League of Municipalities of the Philippines General Assembly and induction of the group’s National Executive Committee at the Manila Hotel.

On the other hand, the President lauded the municipal mayors who chose to be with their constituents before, during and after the onslaught of the typhoon.

Private sector
For his part, Vice President and housing czar Jejomar Binay appealed to the private sector to help in providing relief goods to the victims of the calamity.

“Again, I would like to appeal to the private sector to help us in providing relief to those affected by the typhoon. I just had a talk with Mayor Junjun Binay of Makati and he already committed their support,” Binay said in a statement.

Today, the Vice President will fly to the provinces of Davao and Compostela Valley to inspect the damage and extend assistance to those affected by typhoon.

The housing czar said that the National Housing Authority will provide materials for the repair of damaged houses while the Home Development Mutual (Pag-IBIG) Fund will offer calamity loans and provide insurance to its members.

“Pag-IBIG members who availed of housing loans for the construction or repair of their houses are covered by insurance,” Binay said.

Binay also said that Pag-IBIG members can also apply for a calamity loan which is the equivalent of 80 percent of their total savings. He added that Pag-IBIG offers the lowest interest rate of calamity loans in the market.

Sen. Loren Legarda renewed her call for heightened disaster preparedness and risk management in all communities all over the country as she expressed alarm over the loss of lives and damage to livelihoods caused by Typhoon Pablo.

The eye of the typhoon was located some 80 kilometers of Roxas, Northern Palawan. It still packed maximum sustained winds of 120kph near the center and gustiness of up to 150kph.

The typhoon is expected to be 470 km west of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, by Thursday morning and by Friday morning, 610km west of Dagupan City, Pangasinan.

WITH REPORTS FROM RITCHIE HORARIO AND NEIL ALCOBER