In northern Luzon, death toll from ‘Nando’ hits 11
TUGUEGARAO CITY—As Severe Tropical Storm “Opong” (international name: Bualoi) continues to move closer to Luzon and the Visayas, the death toll from weather-related incidents has risen to 11, with multiple provinces reporting fatalities, transport disruptions and heightened emergency measures.
In Mountain Province, the body of a farmer who went missing during the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Nando” (Ragasa) was recovered Wednesday afternoon along the Chico River in Barangay Lanna, Tabuk City.
The victim, Nicholas Ol-oling, a resident of Otucan Sur in Bauko town, was believed to have been swept away by a strong current while he was tending to his carabao during torrential rains on Monday.
His remains were found by a 23-member rescue team that had been scouring the stretch of Chico River from Mountain Province to Kalinga.
In Nueva Ecija, 79-year-old tricycle driver Anastacio Romero was found dead Thursday morning, two days after he fell into a river during heavy rains at Barangay General Luna in Carranglan town.
Romero was reportedly driving his tricycle around 7 p.m. on Tuesday when he was swept away by rising waters. His body was recovered Thursday morning in nearby Sitio Ligligin.
Ol-oling and Romero were the latest fatalities linked to the onslaught of Nando, bringing the death toll to 11. Nine others had been reported earlier, most of them in Cagayan, including seven fishermen who drowned when their boat capsized off Santa Ana town.
In Babuyan Claro, a remote island village in Calayan, Cagayan, teachers and residents were still reeling from the destruction left by Nando.
Classrooms at Babuyan Claro Integrated School lost their roofs while other facilities were damaged, just two years after being rebuilt from a previous typhoon.
“This is no ordinary day,” said school head Bernie Nuñez, as teachers scrambled to salvage what’s left. Donation drives have been organized, with volunteer groups calling for urgent aid of food, clothing and cash as supplies dwindle on the island.
Local teacher Tricia Rodriguez also appealed for help for one of their students whose father, a village watchman, died during the storm. The family of eight was left without a home or food.
Stranded
In Bicol, over 1,600 passengers were stranded in different ports in the region as of Thursday morning as Opong intensified, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The PCG reported 698 rolling cargoes and 11 vessels stranded, while another 11 vessels were forced to take shelter.
According to the 2 p.m bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Opong was located 300 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. It was moving westward at 20 km per hour and is expected to pass near Northern Samar or make landfall in Bicol on Friday.
In Oriental Mindoro, local officials are preparing for the possible direct impact of Opong, with the province potentially being placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 by Friday, according to Vinscent Gahol, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
“We have prepositioned food packs in multiple LGUs (local government units), especially in the southern towns like Pinamalayan, which may be hardest hit,” Gahol said.
Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor has suspended classes in all levels, both public and private, across the province for Friday, and canceled work in government offices, except those involved in health and disaster response. —REPORTS FROM VILLAMOR VISAYA JR., ARMAND GALANG, MA. APRIL MIER-MANJARES AND IRE JOE V.C. LAURENTE
