13 areas under storm signal No. 3
“Kristine” has caused massive flooding in the Bicol region even before an anticipated landfall in Isabela, leaving several dead in the region and in Calabarzon.
“We got almost two months’ worth of rainfall in just 24 hours,” said Albay provincial disaster chief Cedric Daep.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported massive and unprecedented flooding in Bicol (Region 5).
Death toll figures varied. The OCD reported two dead in Region 5. The police chief of Naga City in Camarines Sur, Erwin Rebellon, reported at least 12 dead.
Malacañang last night announced the suspension of work in government offices today and classes at all levels in Luzon, due to forecast continuous heavy rainfall from Kristine.
The suspension of work for private companies and offices is left to the discretion of their respective heads, said the Office of the Executive Secretary
Kristine yesterday further intensified into a severe tropical storm (from a tropical storm).
Thirteen areas were under Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 3, a bulletin issued at 8 p.m. yesterday by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) showed.
These are Isabela, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, southern portion of Abra, Benguet, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, northern and central portions of Aurora, the northern portion of Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, La Union, and the central and southern portions of Ilocos Sur.
Twenty-one other areas were under Signal No. 2 — Metro Manila, Ilocos Norte, the rest of Ilocos Sur, Apayao, rest of Abra, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the rest of Aurora, the rest of Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon including Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes.
Twenty-eight other areas were under Signal No. 1. These are Batanes, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Islands, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, the northern portion of mainland Palawan, Cuyo Islands, Calamian Islands, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands, Aklan, Capiz, Antique including Caluya Islands, Iloilo, Guimaras, the northern portion of Negros Occidental, the northern portion of Negros Oriental, the northern and central portions of Cebu including Bantayan Islands and Camotes Islands, Bohol, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte including Siargao-Bucas Grande Group.
LANDFALL IN ISABELA
Kristine was forecast to make landfall in Isabela on Wednesday night or early morning today, PAGASA said in the bulletin.
After the landfall, Kristine was forecast to cross the mountainous terrain of northern Luzon and emerge over the waters west of the Ilocos region this afternoon.
“Kristine will then move westward or west northwestward over the West Philippine Sea and exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility region on Friday morning or afternoon,” PAGASA said.
“However, re-intensification may occur once the tropical cyclone moves over the West
Philippine Sea,” said PAGASA.
As of 7 p.m. yesterday, Kristine was some 150 km east of Echague, Isabela, PAGASA said. It was moving northwestward at 15 kph, packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kph.
MASSIVE FLOODING
Maria Agnes Palacio, director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), said Kristine caused “massive flooding” in Bicol.
“Basically Mr. President and Cabinet members, you’ve seen already in the reports that the massive flooding and unprecedented flooding happened in Region 5,” she said during a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) at Camp Aguinaldo presided over by President Marcos Jr.
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla said some 300 out of 600 barangays in Naga City are “fully submerged… impassable by cars,” citing information from Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte.
“And they are in urgent need of rubber boats and six-by-six trucks to evacuate people… In his words, they’re in desperate need (of assistance). The local government can’t do it (alone),” said Remulla.
Palacio’s power point presentation said all 10 bridges in Bicol are not passable.
“Due to widespread flooding experienced across several areas in the Bicol Region, with the hardest-hit areas are Naga City (in Camarines Sur), as well as Libon and Polangui in Albay, where water levels reached neck-deep,” the presentation said.
It said assets from the Armed Forces, Philippine Coast Guard and from other government agencies have been deployed in the region to extend assistance.
It said search and rescue personnel from the Army’s 525th Engineering Brigade are on standby, and helicopters are on standby at Clark Air base in Pampanga for humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations.
“I think one of the issues that we have right now… would be the need for logistics to transport, not just to transport people but to evacuate people from harm’s way,” said Palacio.
“And these are the additional needs that we’re looking at… Until this morning, there were already requests for additional rubber boats,” added Palacio.
Palacio said the OCD has requested other regions, including Western Visayas and Central Visayas, to send rubber boats to aid in the disaster response in Bicol.
She said they are expecting sanitation and hygiene to be affected by the flooding in Bicol and other areas that will be affected by Kristene.
“There was still a lot to see in terms of damages and losses to agriculture, specifically to the livelihoods of people,” said Palacio.
ASSISTANCE
Palacio said Defense Secretary and NDRRMC chairman Gilberto Teodoro Jr has given guidance to the OCD “to seek or to somewhat consider the request for international assistance for augmentation on logistic requirements, specifically for transport.”
Teodoro said he has requested the Singaporean government to seek airlift assistance in anticipation of the effects of the tropical cyclone.
“I have already talked to our Singaporean ambassador to marshal their capabilities for airlift and other manpower assistance that they can pitch in. And we will talk to our traditional partners in the next few days in anticipation of airlift needs and other rescue needs Mr. President,” said Teodoro.
“We have to establish first the protocols before the actual deployment of military assets. With Singapore, I already talked to Ambassador (Constance) Cee and then we are reaching out to Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia as the closest neighbors in addition to partner nations,” added Teodoro.
AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr said the Armed Forces has already alerted most of its aircraft to help in the disaster response operations.
Teodoro said he has ordered the deployment of additional rubber boats to the region, through the AFP Southern Luzon Command. He said these may come from Mindanao and the Visayas.
NDRRMC spokesman Edgar Posadas, in a radio interview, said Albay has declared state of calamity.
“They are addressing challenges in the field of rescue (operations) in the city of Naga. The province of Albay and Camarines Sur are the worst-hit as of now,” he also said, adding many areas in Bicol are “underwater right now.”
Posadas said OCD Bicol director Claudio Yucot said tasks and challenges in the region are “overwhelming.”
DEAD, MISSING
The OCD said one died in Masbate (in Bicol region) due to fallen branch of tree. Seven others are missing in Masbate and Cebu and five were injured in Northern Samar and Camarines Norte, it said.
Police however reported five in Calabarzon and Bicol regions.
Two of the fatalities drowned in Quezon, including Matheo John Tamo, a one year and eight months old baby, from San Andres town.
The boy fell in an open canal and was swept away by rushing water before noon Tuesday. The second fatality in Quezon, 56-year-old Yolanda Marvida, drowned in Tagkawayan town on Tuesday night.
Bicol police regional office director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon said three people died in the region but did not say the cause of death.
Dizon said one remained missing in the region and six others were injured.
“We have 10 casualties. Out of these casualties, three were declared dead, six were injured and one is missing. That is the data that we have now,” said Dizon.
Dizon also said 262 barangays were flooded in the region. He said landslides were reported in 15 barangays.
Dizon also said some 26,000 individuals were displaced in Bicol and are being taken care of by local government units.
He said many areas in the region have no electricity of yesterday morning.
“We are appealing for help, especially in Albay, Sorsogon and Camarines Sur,” said Dizon.
LAHAR FLOWS
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said lahar flows dure to Kristine’s rains were monitored at Mayon Volcano in Albay.
“So far, based on information we gathered, there are lahar occurrence in Barangay Masarawag in Guinobatan, Albay and Barangay Binitayan in Daraga,” said Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol
Bacolcol said their streamflow seismometer also detected “lahar signal” in Barangay Anoling in Camalig.
He said lahar flows are destructive and can even cause deaths, noting Mayon’s lahar flow incidents in 2016 which he said claimed 1,200 lives.
On Tuesday, Phivolcs warned of lahar that may flow from Mayon, noting that the heavy and intense rains from Kristene “could generate volcanic sediment flows or lahars, muddy stream flows or muddy run-off in rivers and drainage areas of Mayon Volcano.”
Mayon Volcano is under Alert Level 1 (low-level unrest).
Bacolcol said they recorded four volcanic earthquakes and 28 rockfall events from Mayon last Tuesday.
PRICE FREEZE
The Department of Trade and Industry has issued a price freeze on basic necessities in areas under a state of calamity.
As of October 22, Albay province and Magpet town in Cotabato have been declared under a state of calamity due to widespread floods and landslides.
When a state of calamity is declared, Republic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act, as amended, mandates a 60-day automatic price freeze on products under its purview such as canned fish, locally manufactured instant noodles, bottled water, bread, processed milk, coffee, candles, laundry soap, detergent, and salt. This means these basic necessities are frozen at their prevailing prices.
In addition to the DTI, other implementing agencies of the Price Act are responsible for ensuring price stability and sufficient supply within their respective jurisdiction. For instance, the Department of Agriculture oversees the prices and supply of rice, corn, cooking oil, fresh, dried and other marine products, fresh eggs, fresh pork, beef and poultry meat, fresh milk, fresh vegetables, root crops, sugar, and fresh fruits.
Business establishments found to have violated the price freeze will face a penalty of imprisonment for a period of one year to 10 years, or a fine ranging from P5,000 to P1 million or both, at the discretion of the court.
The price freeze will remain in effect until its designated end date unless lifted sooner by the President.
POWER
The National Electrification Administration (NEA) said that 86 out of 121 electric cooperatives (ECs) in the country are deemed affected by Kristine.
NEA said of the 86 affected ECs, 50 were under normal operations, 29 were experiencing partial power interruptions, six under total power interruption, and one more that it yet to submit a status update.
NEA added that so far, Kristine’s damage to ECs has reached P971,410.60 and 970,814 customer connections.
However, the agency said the cost of damage is expected to increase as soon as more ECs can submit their reports.
Meanwhile, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said that as of 1 p.m. yesterday, 10 of its 69 kiloVolt (kV) lines and one 230 kV line were still affected by TS Kristine.
The company said that among ECs affected are Quezon I EC, Sorsogon I EC, Sorsogon II EC, Camarines Sur I EC, Camarines Sur II EC, Camarines Sur III EC, Camarines Sur IV EC, Albay EC, Eastern Samar EC, Leyte IV EC, Northern Samar EC and Negros Oriental I EC.
NGCP said it continues to mobilize line crews and is currently conducting patrols and deploying choppers to inspect and assess the impact of the tropical storm to its operations and facilities.
STRANDED, WORK SUSPENSION
The Philippine Coast Guard said some 7,000 passengers, truck drivers and cargo helpers were stranded at 103 ports in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao due to suspension of sea travel in relation to Kristine.
It said 1,872 rolling cargos, 111 vessels and 22 motor bancas are also stranded while 261 vessels and 142 motor bancas were taking shelter as of 12 noon yesterday.
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said stranded passengers in various ports across the country have reached almost 6,000 as of noon yesterday.
The Supreme Court suspended work yesterday in all first and second level courts and offices in Luzon while the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority also suspended the implementation of the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program or number coding scheme in the metropolis due to the inclement weather.
The Senate leadership ordered a partial suspension yesterday.
COMELEC APPEAL
Local offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Bicol region were among those affected by the massive flooding, said Comelec Chairman George Garcia.
He said flooding threatened important Comelec records, such as applications for voter registration, voter registration records, as well as their computers containing the voters lists.
Garcia said the poll body has asked the PNP and the Department of Public Works and Highways “that our records and equipment will be put in an elevated building.”
The Comelec has a local office in every city or municipality, known as Offices of the Election Officer. – With Jocelyn Montemayor, Irma Isip, Jed Macapagal, Gerard Naval, Ashzel Hachero, Myla Iglesias, Raymond Africa, and Reuters