06 December 2006
By Ephraim Aguilar, Bobby Labalan and Juan Escandor Jr.
Inquirer Southern Luzon
“WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO start again,” was the common lamentation among typhoon victims in Albay province’s capital city of Legazpi, as they cried for basic necessities like food, water, clothing and shelter.
Indeed, a dark, bleak christmas awaits residents of Albay, Catanduanes and other parts of the Bicol region who survived Supertyphoon “Reming” on Nov. 30.
The region of 4.6 million people is still without power, with downed transmission pylons lying unattended next to the highways.
In her five-hour visit to Camarines Sur and Albay yesterday, President Macapagal-Arroyo ordered government agencies to stop all their finger-pointing and ensure that no communities affected by Reming would be left “isolated and hungry.”
Reming (international code name: Durian), now downgraded to a tropical storm, continued with its deadly course overnight, lashing the coast of southern Vietnam, where officials said at least 23 people had died and more were missing.
Power facilities in Albay, valued at about P200 million, were destroyed and restoring power may take more than six months, according to Alex Realoza, general manager of Albay Electric Cooperative (Aleco).
But Glen Rabonza, executive director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), said power was set to be restored in Naga City today and in Legazpi City by Dec. 16 and in the entire region by Dec. 21.
Aleco had not finished restoring power in Albay (8 percent of the province was still without power a month after the last typhoon “Milenyo” struck) when Reming toppled electric poles, transformers and power stations.
History’s worst typhoon
Reming also severely damaged Aleco’s office, equipment, trucks and service vehicles, according to Realoza.
“Now, we do not even know where to start assessing the damage. This was the worst typhoon in history,” Realoza said.
Civil defense officials confirmed 526 dead, mostly around Mayon volcano, and another 740 missing.
The civil defense office said the typhoon and the mudslides destroyed or damaged 250,000 houses and affected 1.54 million people, nearly 83,000 of whom had sought refuge at evacuation centers.
It put the cost of the damage to buildings, infrastructure and agriculture at P1.2 billion.
Villagers are drawing water from wells and are using pumps. The Department of Health-Bicol has deployed teams to educate people on water chlorination. Water-purifying plants have been put up in some areas, according to the OCD.
Since the typhoon struck, people had been going around Legazpi looking for potable water in the few water refilling stations open. After finding one, they still had to join the long queue of thirsty buyers.
People were also queueing when buying food supplies, milk for infants, gasoline, medicine and liquefied petroleum gas.
Gasoline shortage
Only one gasoline station was open in Legazpi and not all of its pumps were working.
Motorists still had to drive to neighboring Daraga town, where three stations were open.
The gasoline shortage paralyzed more than 50 percent of the public utility vehicles.
Communication was still a problem. In the entire Bicol, only one mobile network was working three days after Reming struck.
Transmission towers in Naga City and Legazpi were toppled, paralyzing the operations of most radio stations.
Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzales complained about the slow clearing of highways and roads by the Department of Public Works and Highways, saying that he saw only one bulldozer doing the job. The DPWH vowed to finish road-clearing operations by Friday.
Hospital damaged
Sorsogon remained without electricity and all communications facilities were still down. No casualty was reported but houses, buildings and crops were damaged.
On the island province of Catanduanes, where Reming made its landfall, 14,933 houses were destroyed and 17,258 were damaged, according to Gov. Leandro Verceles.
Damage to agriculture and infrastructure was placed at P370.8 million.
Verceles estimated the damage to the operating room of the Eastern Bicol Medical Center in Virac at P30 million.
Financial assistance
Wearing a black-colored blouse, Ms Arroyo commiserated with victims in Pasacao, Camarines Sur and Guinobatan, Albay. She carried young evacuees in her arms.
The President gave some bereaved families P5,000 for each fatality and distributed relief goods.
Aida Tolero of Barangay Binitayan in Daraga thanked the President for the “gift,” saying it would go a long way in helping her rebuild her life.
Tolero lost a niece after torrents of mud from the slopes of Mayon washed out their house.
In Pasacao, Merlita Lanuza, 47, said her house was destroyed and that she hoped she could be provided some financial assistance to start rebuilding her house. But she said she was also very happy that the President came to visit them.
Lanuza said she also wished the President could help them rebuild their lives by providing them assistance to start a small store. She said their small store and their house were gone.
Entourage
When Ms Arroyo came to her, Lanuza could only smile and could not say anything but accept the plastic bag with relief goods handed to her.
Ms Arroyo’s three-helicopter entourage arrived at the Philippine Ports Authority office in Pasacao at 10:20 a.m. and left for Albay at 10:50 a.m.
She was accompanied by Vice President Noli de Castro, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr., her son Dato Arroyo and Gina de Venecia.
Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said the P1 billion ordered released by the President for the hardest-hit areas was already available in cash.
Andaya said the P1 billion was an initial release, just to “normalize” the situation and to respond to the basic needs of the victims like food and electricity.
“The good thing right now is that we have sufficient cash to cover all the necessary funding requirement, so there would be no problem,” he said.
Food, medicine from Indonesia
The country continues to receive aid from other countries.
At first light yesterday, two C-130 transport aircraft from Indonesia touched down in Legazpi, carrying more than 12 tons of food and medicine.
A small team of Spanish firemen set up a field hospital nearby for the injured survivors.
Other pledges of support include:
$200,000 from the Chinese government.
$100,000 from South Korea.
A total of 150 tents, 900 rolls of plastic sheets, 60 pieces of sleeping mattresses, and 20 sets of 22V generators from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Relief supplies worth $50,000, including medicine, food, blankets and tents, from Singapore.
A total of P3.4 million from Muntinlupa City for Calabanga and Siruma towns in Camarines Sur, and Sta. Cruz, Marinduque.
An unspecified amount from the League of Cities of the Philippines. (See Page A17)
P100,000 from the Regional Development Council in Eastern Visayas.
World Vision, an international Christian relief and developmental organization, has started its assessment of the tragedy and has rallied support among its international allies worldwide.
For its part, the International Red Cross has launched a $7.3-million emergency appeal to help the Philippines.
Search operations extended
Ms Arroyo ordered the extension of the search and retrieval operations for 10 days in mud-sputtered areas in Legazpi City, Daraga and Guinobatan.
“The search for victims must continue as we tend to the sick and hungry in the evacuation centers, but we must now also push on the search for permanent solutions bearing upon the root cause of these grave calamities,” she added.
But Daniel Fernandez, a member of the Spanish search and rescue team BUSF, said “the search for life is over.”
Teams from the health department were making their way to villages to help deal with the dead. Many unclaimed bodies have been buried in shallow graves but many more are still lying unrecovered. With reports from Jocelyn R. Uy in Manila; Ven S. Labro and David Israel Sinay, Inquirer Visayas
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