Crisis, monsoon leave 5 dead

MANILA, Philippines, July 21 ------ Severe Tropical Storm Crising (international name Wipha) left five people dead and more than 370,000 affected, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council announced.

The NDRRMC said two of the fatalities were from Cagayan province. The others were from Lanao del Sur, Mambajao town in Camiguin and Malita town in Davao Occidental. Office of Civil Defense (OCD) officer-in-charge Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the fatalities in Camiguin and Davao were believed to be hit by debris. Meanwhile, the severe tropical storm is now outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), affected 370,289 people or 120,008 families.

The NDRRMC said 6,720 families or 22,623 people were staying in evacuation centers, while 5,287 families or 20,759 people were outside evacuation centers. In La Union, 1,608 families or 5,763 people were evacuated due to floods and landslides in the towns of Bacnotan, Bauang, Bagulin, Caba, Santo Tomas, Aringay, Pugo and the city of San Fernando, according to Gov. Mario Ortega. The OCD is still validating reports of missing people in Antique and three injured in Sultan Kudarat.

Food supply

Before departing for the US yesterday for a three-day official visit, President Marcos directed concerned agencies to ensure sufficient food supply for families affected by Crising and the southwest monsoon. “The direct instruction of our President is that no family affected by this storm and flood should go hungry,” Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian told reporters.

He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has three million food packs available. Meanwhile, DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said the agency has released over P37 million in relief aid to families, comprised of 53,383 family food packs, ready-to-eat food and non-food items. Sen. Francis Pangilinan has urged the government to enforce the Sagip Saka Act, the law he authored in 2019, to offer immediate aid to affected farmers and fisherfolk.

Another cyclone?

Another tropical cyclone may enter PAR before the end of July, with monsoon rains continuing to affect large parts of the country, the state weather bureau said. Crising, now Wipha, was 935 kilometers west of extreme northern Luzon as of 3 p.m. yesterday. Heavy to intense rainfall over Zambales, Bataan and Occidental Mindoro may lead to floods and landslides.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescued four fishermen in two separate mishaps on Saturday. This included three fishermen whose boat capsized off Pasandigan Cove in El Nido, and another who was rescued near Inaladelan Island in San Vicente town. In Puerto Princesa, the PCG rescued nearly 100 families in a single barangay, prompting Sen. Erwin Tulfo to call for a Senate inquiry into the flooding issue in Palawan.

Source: philstar.com