SEVEN persons died in Ambaguio town in Nueva Vizcaya on Sunday due to a landslide caused by “Pepito” which exited the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) yesterday hours after weakening into a severe tropical storm.
The victims were evacuees who were staying in a “place of worship,” King Webster Balaw-ing, acting head of the Nueva Vizcaya provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said in radio interviews.
“They evacuated. They went to a building which they thought was safe. They were buried while inside that structure … That’s a place of worship which they thought was safer than their house,” he said in mixed Filipino and English.
But Kristian Sevilla, operations staff at the Nueva Vizcaya provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said the victims – five males and two females who are from one family — were inside their house when they were buried by the landslide.
He said the fatalities included an eight-year-old.
“The soil in the area was already saturated due to the rains, causing the landslide,” he also said.
Sevilla said five to six landslides have been reported in the province due to Pepito. No one was reported dead from the other landslide incidents.
Balaw-ing said the town is classified as a “red zone” area because it is “highly-susceptible to landslides.” He said residents were told to evacuate as early as last Friday.
President Marcos Jr earlier yesterday expressed sadness over report of a fatality in Camarines Norte. He said “one casualty is one casualty too many … so that is unfortunate.”
Earlier reports quoted the municipal disaster risk reduction management office (MDRRMO) of Daet, Camarines Norte as saying the victim, a 73-year-old man, was on board a vehicle when he hit a hanging internet cable, causing his death.
Cesar Idio, deputy administrator for operations of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), confirmed the incident but said death of the victim was not directly related to Pepito.
“His death is due to vehicular accident, that’s the report that we got,” he said.
OCD Bicol information officer Gremil Alexis Naz, “It’s not typhoon-related as per MDRRMO (municipal disaster risk reduction Daet).”
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla reported two deaths in Nueva Ecija.
“They were told to leave their house near the river but they did not want to leave. When the river swelled, they were swept away. This is not the fault of local officials,” he said.
OCD Central Luzon information officer Cheng Quizon said the victims were reported only as missing, adding the region has yet to record any death related to Pepito.
Ariel Nepomuceno, OCD administrator and concurrent executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said there were actually three victims in the incident — a couple and their child. He said the incident is still subject to validation.
Citing information from the OCD Central Luzon, Nepomuceno said the victims did not heed the advice of policemen to go to the evacuation center.
“There was a flashflood and the three were swept away,” he said.
Told that residents who refuse to heed calls for evacuation should be subjected to forced evacuation, Nepomuceno said: “We are getting the details why they were still near the river.”
PEPITO OUT
Pepito exited the PAR at noon yesterday, hours after it weakened into a severe tropical storm, from a typhoon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Pepito was some 405 km west of northwest of Sinait, Ilocos Sur. It was moving west northwestward at 20 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 110 kph and gustiness of up to 135 kph.
There are no areas under storm warning.
PAGASA said Pepito will continue to weaken due to the “incoming northeasterly wind surge, creating unfavorable environment.”
“This tropical cyclone may become a remnant low on Wednesday,” PAGASA said.
RESCUE, RELIEF
The President, in a speech during the National Prayer Breakfast, urged Filipinos to unite in the face of death and destruction left by the series of typhoons in the past weeks.
“Our collective faith and prayer to the Almighty is the most powerful tool that we have to weather these storms and the destruction that they bring,” he said.
The President also said rescue and relief efforts, especially in isolated areas hit by Pepito, would continue.
Marcos said he was glad that the impact of Pepito was not as “bad as we feared,” and he is grateful to the first responders and volunteers for their efforts all throughout the six recent typhoons that hit the country.
He also thanked the public, particularly in the typhoon path, for their cooperation and for following the typhoon bulletins and advisories.
“Rebuilding will also start to continue as well. So hopefully, when Christmas comes, we remember our countrymen who were devastated,” he said.
He also urged others to consider sharing Christmas gifts they would receive with those who were affected by the series of typhoons.
The Diocese of Virac called for assistance for Catanduanes which was severely affected by Pepito.
In a social media post, the Virac diocese Chancery Office said Pepito left the province with “devastated homes, disrupted livelihoods, and shattered hopes.”
“We humbly appeal for your generosity and kindness to support them in this difficult
It said the affected families need non-perishable food items (e.g., rice, canned goods, noodles), hygiene kits (soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary pads), clothing, and blankets.
The relief goods may be dropped off at the Diocesan Pastoral Center and the Chancery Office in Virac, Catanduanes.
DAMAGE
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported P516.7 million worth of infrastructure damage from cyclones “Nika,” “Ofel” and Pepito.
The infrastructure damage cost includes P170.7 million in damage to roads in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and P7.24 million in Cagayan Valley (Region 2), bridge damage, and P338.79 million in damage to flood control structures in Regions 2 and 3 (Central Luzon).
As of 6 a.m. yesterday, 12 road sections in CAR, Regions 2, 3, and 5 (Bicol) remain impassable.
The Department of Public Works Bureau of Maintenance identified 12 road closures in Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan, Quirino, Catanduanes, due to landslide, fallen trees, flooding and soil collapse.
POWER
The Department of Energy (DOE) said restoration work is underway in cyclone-affected areas.
It said teams of linemen, engineers, and technical personnel from electric cooperatives across northern and southern Luzon, including Aurora province, and the Bicol region, along with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and private distribution utilities, are working to bring power back to affected communities.
The DOE said as of November 18, partial restorations have been completed on the Bayombong-Lagawe and the Cabanatuan-San Luis 69 kilovolt (kV) lines.
Restoration efforts continue to bring back power swiftly in areas they serve, including the Ifugao Electric Cooperative (IFELCO), Nueva Vizcaya Electric Cooperative (NUVELCO) II, and Aurora Electric Cooperative (AURELCO).
The DOE said restoration efforts are also underway for the Santiago-Cauayan 69 kV line, which serves Isabela Electric Cooperative (ISELCO). Restoration work is underway in areas severely impacted by Tropical Storm Nika, including those served by ISELCO I & II, Quirino Electric Cooperative (QUIRELCO), Kalinga Electric Cooperative (KAELCO), Ifugao Electric Cooperative (IFELCO), and AURELCO.
The National Electrification Administration, through its Task Force Kapatid program, has deployed 84 linemen, including responders from NUVELCO I, to assist ISELCO I with its restoration efforts. – With Jocelyn Montemayor, Gerard Naval, Myla Iglesias and Irma Isip
