TYPHOONS AFTERMATH: PAMPANGA MAROONED
[PHOTO - RELIEF GOODS AIRDROP A Philippine Coast Guard rescuer aboard a helicopter prepares to drop a bag of relief goods over a flooded residential area in Bulacan in this coast guard handout photo dated October 2, 2011. See also Pampanga marooned (EPA Photo)]
MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2011 (BULLETIN) Several Pampanga towns, especially those located in the coastal areas, are still submerged in 5-to 10-foot flood although typhoons "Pedring" and "Quiel" have already left the country, Gov. Lilia Pineda said Monday.
Also still isolated by floods are the coastal towns Calumpit and Hagonoy in neighboring Bulacan.
Among the Pampanga towns still under water are Candaba, San Luis, Sta. Ana, San Simon, Minalin, Apalit, Macabebe, and Masantol.
To address the massive flooding in Pampanga as well as in neighboring Bulacan, Gov. Pineda urged the national government to prioritize the desilting of the Pampanga River.
Pineda called the attention of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the situation in the coastal areas and address it with the proper solution.
"I think the DPWH should study the cause of massive flooding in the province and neighboring towns, it is because the water from Aurora and Nueva Ecija are tributaries to the dike of Pampanga River which serves as catch basin."
She raised the idea of desilting the river during an inspection of dikes and flooded areas for the distribution of relief goods to affected residents.
Masantol Mayor Peter Flores appealed for help from the national government as the town's seafood industry is severely affected after fishponds overflowed.
In Bulacan, Calumpit Mayor James de Jesus said at least 15 villages in his town were still inaccessible due to flood as high as 5 feet.
At the moment, Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy Alvarado is now focusing on the health care needs of affected residents as well as rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures in the province.
Aside from Pampanga and Bulacan, also still flooded are 20 towns and cities in Pangasinan, mainly due to continuous release of water from San Roque Dam.
'Pedring' damage: P9B
[PHOTO - A boat loaded with relief goods is pushed along a flooded street in Apalit, Pampanga on Sunday. Ernie Penaredondo]
As these three provinces confront flood problems, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Monday that damage to property caused by "Pedring" is now close to P9 billion while the affected population, mostly in flood-hit areas in Bulacan and Pampanga, is now more than 2.7 million people.
NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos said there is possibility the combined cost of damages from the two cyclones that lashed across Luzon last week – "Pedring" and "Quiel" – could reach P10 billion. The NDRRMC has yet to release its report on the assessment of damage caused by "Quiel."
The NDRRMC gave the breakdown of the cost of damage to property due to "Pedring" as P7,554,295,195.62 in agriculture and P1,249,264,897.81 in infrastructure or a total of P8,803,560,093.43.
The latest information released by the NDRRMC showed the total number of population affected by "Pedring" is now 582,626 families or 2,725,023 from 3,252 villages in 300 towns and 41 cities in 34 provinces. Of this, 37,049 families or 168,573 people are now temporarily housed in 491 evacuation centers.
As disaster relief and rescue teams have poured in, especially in Bulacan and Pampanga, authorities continued to appeal to affected residents who insist on staying at their flooded homes for evacuate, saying it's for their own safety.
Heavy rains brought by "Pedring" and "Quiel" prompted the government to open the gates of major dams, which resulted to the massive flooding in Central Luzon.
The NDRRMC also reported several collapsed and breached dikes and creeks in Pampanga that have also further contributed to the flooding in the province. Some of the collapsed and breached dikes and creeks were identified as Barangay Mandili dike and Barangay Barangca dike in Candaba; Matubig creek, San Jose Dayat creek, San Juan Gandara, San Agustin Sapang Maragol earthdike in Guagua; and Barangay Gatud and Dampe earthdike in Floridablanca.
A total of 43,032 houses were damagesd by Pedring, of which 6,125 were totally destroyed, while 68 bridges and road sections remain closed mostly on regions 2, 3, and the Cordillera.
The death toll from Pedring stood at 55 as of press time, with 28 still missing. "Quiel" left three people dead and one injured.
Meanwhile, initial report on the effects of Quiel showed 35,677 families or 159,140 people were affected in 426 villages in 49 towns and five cities, mostly in Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino provinces.
Sofitel reopens Oct. 10
Meanwhile, a week after it has been damaged by "Pedring," Sofitel Philippine Plaza announced Monday the hotel's reopening on October 10, 2011.
The reopening of hotel operations covers guest rooms, Club Millesime, banqueting and events, and swimming pool facilities.
Plaza level outlets such as Le Spa, SoFit, The Zen Institute, Philippine Tordjman Le Salon, and Gymboree are scheduled to open by the first week of November.
While Spiral is being "reconceived" for its 2012 re-launch, breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served at Snaps Sports Bar, Sunset Bar, and Le Bar.
In a press statement, general manager Goran Aleks said, "This opening date was determined based on the pre-condition that Sofitel's standards of quality, safety, and security will be 100-percent achieved."
Good weather
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), meanwhile, sees improved weather condition in typhoon-hit areas in Luzon Tuesday.
PAGASA Weather Division OIC chief Robert Sawi said good weather is expected in Northern and Central Luzon Tuesday.
"Residents in these areas will experience sunny day because there is no rain-inducing weather system adversely affecting Central and Northern Luzon," he noted.
An inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) will likely bring scattered rainshowers with thunderstorms, particularly in the afternoon or evening, in Southern Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, Sawi said.
"Metro Manila will also experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rains because it is reached by the axis of the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Rains will be lesser in intensity as compared to the rains in Southern Luzon,the Visayas, and Mindanao," he explained.
Sawi said the western section of Visayas will experience rains due to the southwest monsoon that continues to be enhanced by typhoon "Quiel" (international name: Nalgae).
He said a low-pressure area (LPA) located 530 kilometers northeast of Visayas is almost stationary, and continues to hover over the Pacific Ocean. It, however, has a 50-50 possibility to develop into a tropical depression. (With reports from Mark Anthony Manuel, Malou E. Rosal, Liezle Basa Iñigo, and Ellalyn B. De Vera)
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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