ANGELES CITY – The skies cleared yesterday in Central Luzon to finally reveal how typhoon Pedring waylaid the region: at least P3.1 billion damages in agriculture, 13 dead, seven still missing, 534 totally damaged and 1,127 partially damaged houses in the region alone.
Of the seven still missing persons, three were victims of yet another trashslide in Barangay New Cabalan in Olongapo City.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) said the biggest agricultural damage was sustained by Nueva Ecija, reputed to be the country’s rice granary, which sustained losses worth P2.2 billion, followed by Bulacan with damages worth P893.5 million.
Tarlac reported agricultural damage worth P66.6 million, while reports from Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan and Aurora were not immediately available.
In a report, the RDRRMC reported that Pedring’s fatalities in Central Luzon totalled 13 as of yesterday, including six who drowned, five who were hit by debris triggered by strong winds, one from landslide, and another from a vehicular accident arising from zero visibility caused by heavy rains.
The drowing victims were identified as Jose Buno of Cabangan, Zambales; Mercedita Bartolome, a certain Danzer, Mark Kanso Villanueva, Michaela Villanueva and Honorio Guevarra, all of Obando, Bulacan.
The other fatalities were named as Byan Anthony Sumanga who was buried in a landslide in Barangay Mabayuan in Olongapo City and Andrew Fallorina who died in a vehicular accident due to zero visibility in Botolan, Zambales.
Those who died after being hit by objects felled or carried by strong winds were Robelyn Balle in Candaba, Pampanga, Charmaine Catampay in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, and Gloria May of Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
The RDRRMC also still considered as missing seven others, including trashslide victims victims Eduardo Hummer, Lanievie Ganseco, and Shanaia Ganseco in Purok 4, Silahis, New Cabalan in Olongapo City.
Ernesto Labrador or San Felipe, Zambales, Christopher Madhos of Baler, Aurora and siblings Yong Tan and Queen Tan of Porac, Pampanga were also still unaccounted for.
The RDRRMC also reported that as of yesterday, 14,271 families or 63,724 persons remained in evacuation centers in Central Luzon. The biggest number of evacuees are in Nueva Ecija, with 5,500 families or 25,645 persons in the centers.
Most of the totally and partially damaged houses were noted in Nueva Ecija and Bataan. Partial reports as of yesterday indicated 1,127 partially damaged, and 534 totally damaged houses in Central Luzon.
In Nueva Ecija, 206 houses were totally destroyed and another 489 were partially damaged, while in Bataan, 454 sustained partial damage and another 205 total damage.
