OVER 150,000 persons, mostly in Bicol, have been displaced by typhoon “Quinta” which also caused flooding in the region and other areas in southern Luzon.
Two persons were reported to have died and at least a dozen others remained missing.
Quinta is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility this morning.
The eye of Quinta, as of 4 p.m. yesterday, was some 310 km west of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. It was moving west northwest at 25 kph, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph. As of 5 p.m., Quinta was in the West Philippine Sea.
Batangas, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang island, Oriental Mindoro, Calamian Islands, and the extreme northern portion of Antique were still under signal No. 1, according to a bulletin issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) at 4 p.m.
PAGASA said Quinta will still bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains to Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, northern Palawan including Calamian and Cuyo Islands, Calabarzon region, Aurora, and Isabela.Cedric Daep, chief of AlbayӼs Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, said some 120,000 of the displaced residents, mostly preemptively evacuated, were from Albay where Quinta made first of its five landfalls.
Daep said about 17,000 families or 64,000 individuals were housed in evacuation centers while a little over that same figure stayed with relatives and friends.
Albay Gov. Alfrancis Bichara said many of the evacuees have returned home as the weather condition improved yesterday.
Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero said about 4,000 families or 14,000 persons in the province were evacuated but are also returning home.
The Office of Civil Defense-Bicol region reported 107 families or 436 persons evacuated in Camarines Sur.
In the Mimaropa region, Marinduque Gov. Presbitero Velasco said 1,882 families or 6,098 persons were displaced in his provinces. He said the evacuees were living their the shorelines.
The Office of Civil Defense in the Calabarzon region said 2,369 families or 9,352 persons were evacuated.
In Quezon, farmer Angelito Buenaventura drowned when the tricycle he was riding was swept by strong currents, in Barangay Del Valle in Antonio town at around 10:45 a.m. Sunday, said the townӼs health officer Ma. Wilma Castillo.
BuenaventuraӼs companions РNoriel Rosales and Rogelio Rosales Рwere able to swim to safety, said Castillo.
Quezon Gov. Danilo Suarez said the fatality may not be counted under Quinta because the victim drowned before the typhoon hit the province. Weather officials raised the signal warning in Quezon as early as Friday.
The second fatality is from the Cagayan Valley region, said PNP chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan.
He did not give details.
MISSING FISHERMEN
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management said it has yet to receive official reports from its regional offices about Quinta-related deaths.
The NDRRMC said 12 fishermen from Catanduanes were reported missing. It said the Philippine Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue operations for the missing fishermen.
Also in Catanduanes, another fisherman, Joselito Quapeuprecua, was missing while his six fellow fishermen were rescued in Virac, Catanduanes when their boat capsized after it was battered by strong waves caused by Quinta, police said.
Another went missing in Bauan, Batangas after a yacht, MV Oceanic Explorer, capsized due to bad weather yesterday morning. Seven other passengers of the vessel were rescued by Coast Guard personnel.
Another vessel, MV RoRo-12, ran aground off Maricaban, Batangas also yesterday morning.
PCG personnel rescued the five crew members of the vessel who took shelter at the nearby Bonito Island.
In Albay, Bichara said they they have initial reports that some fishermen also went missing.
He said the fishermen went went fishing on Wednesday last week. He said they are validating the information.
FLOODS, POWER OUTAGE
Bichara said many areas in the province were flooded, including rice field. He said farmers were supposed to harvest rice crops next month.
«Many areas are still without electricity,» said Bichara, adding some transmission towers of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in the province were also damaged by the typhoon.
Marinduque Gov. Presbitero Velasco reported flooding and landslide incidents in the province. He said trees and electric posts were also toppled by the strong winds.
Velasco said Department of Public Works and Highways personnel are conducting clearing operations.
Velasco said they shut down electricity before Quinta hit the province, as a precaution. He said personnel have been deployed to inspect the lines and determine if it is safe to restore power.
Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas said almost half of Batangas was without electricity because of fallen electric posts. He also said some roads are not yet passable to vehicles due to debris.
Quezon Gov. Danilo Suarez said two of the four districts (third and fourth) are also without electricity. «We”ºre now okay, except we”ºre still experiencing brownout. It may take a while,» he said.
Suarez said some areas in the province were also flooded but they are passable to all types of vehicles.
«Its not as bad as Pepito,» said Suarez, referring to typhoon “Pepito” which submerged many areas last week.
Initial consolidated reports from the NDRRMC said there were 11 incidents of flooding in Laguna, Camarines Sur, Negros Occidental, Samar, and Apayao. Also, it said seven landslide incidents also occurred in Laguna, Aklan, Samar, and Apayao.
«Typhoon Quinta has also affected 33 roads in Cagayan, Laguna, Rizal, Camarines Sur, Masbate, Catanduanes, and Apayao,» the NDRRMC also said.
