Emergency workers scrambled to rescue residents trapped by floods in and around Metro Manila as Tropical Storm “Paeng” swept out of the country after killing at least 48 people.
Several neighborhoods in towns and cities just outside Metro Manila remained underwater after the storm raked across the main island of Luzon overnight, cutting power supplies and inflicting damage.
Meanwhile, lawmakers generated P35 million worth of donations and pledges as of Sunday, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said.
In a statement, Romualdez said his office has met with concerned agencies and government officials over the weekend to ensure a well-coordinated relief drive for the victims of Paeng.
The Speaker said he has already gained pledges of assistance from fellow lawmakers, led by Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and private individuals for a relief drive.
On top of the P35 million, the Speaker received a pledge of assistance from the private sector.
“During the darkest hours, the House of the People in coordination and partnership with the Marcos administration is always here to assist and help Filipinos in their time of need. We will support all the national government initiatives in pursuing relief and recovery efforts in areas affected by typhoon Paeng,” he said.
The death toll from the storm rose to 48, the national disaster agency said on Sunday, most of them from a series of flash floods and landslides that destroyed villages on the southern island of Mindanao on Friday.
In Paranaque, rescuers swam through three-meter floodwaters overnight to reach 60 people, including children marooned on an upper floor of a building, a local official said.
“They were shouting and crying in a panic because they really have no way out” after floodwaters rose as they attended a party, village chief Noel Japlos said.
“We did not expect the water to go this high. If we weren’t able to rescue them all, some of them could have died,” he added.
Video footage taken by the rescue team showed emergency workers in life vests using a rope to lead them out of the building while children were put on improvised floats.
In nearby Kawit town, a corpse in a white coffin floated on a flooded street, an AFP photographer saw.
Residents said a flash flood overnight likely carried it off from a nearby cemetery.
Kawit residents emerging from receding floods were cleaning up and trying to dry their wet belongings.
“It’s so difficult because we can’t move around due to the flood and we have a two-month-old baby who can’t sleep because there’s no electricity,” Andinor Cairme, a street sweeper, said.
The storm slightly weakened as it roared out into the West Philippine Sea, the state forecaster said.
Port operations have also slowly resumed as thousands of stranded passengers travel in time for the All Saints’ Day holiday on Tuesday, when millions of Filipinos visit the graves of relatives.
The civil defense office said 22 people were missing and 40 were injured with bridges, roads, and crops also destroyed.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday that Paeng has displaced 277,383 families or close to 1 million people in 2,455 barangays in 14 regions of the country.
These communities are in Regions 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), 4-A (Calabarzon), 4-B (Mimaropa), 5 (Bicol), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 11 (Davao), 12 (Soccsksargen), Caraga, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Some 44,847 families or 168,453 persons were in 2,125 evacuation centers while the remainder were being helped by relatives or friends.
The Philippine Army said its disaster response units were on standby alert for humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions following the onslaught of Paeng.
“The Army leadership prepared 21 DRUs, two urban search-and-rescue (USAR) teams, three aircraft, and 12 military trucks that would readily be deployed to various Unified Commands in nearby areas and provinces for rescue and relief operations,” PA spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement Sunday.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the agency together with the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection were working with local government units in ongoing disaster response efforts.
Abalos also said the DILG is working with concerned national government agencies to respond to affected families and mitigate the loss of lives and damages to property.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has disbursed assistance amounting to P22.3 million so far for victims of the tropical storm.
The amount covers food packs and non-food relief items distributed to 1.2 million people affected by the onslaught of Paeng.
“As of 6 a.m. of Oct. 30, the DSWD has stockpiles and standby funds amounting to more than P1.4 billion,” said DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo.
Tulfo said all field offices (FOs) should remain on alert and ready for disaster response operations.
“This is our time. This is our moment. It is our job to help those in crisis,” he said.
Tulfo also directed all FOs to frequently provide reports on their ongoing disaster operations.
“The President is asking for an update every hour. That’s what the President wants,” Tulfo said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development has activated its regional shelter cluster teams (RSCTs) in areas affected by the storm.
Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar ordered all undersecretaries and assistant secretaries to closely monitor the situation in their assigned areas.
The Department of Health (DOH) has deployed health personnel and provided emergency medicines and medical supplies to areas affected by the severe tropical storm.
In preparation for Paeng, a total of ₱31 million worth of drugs and medicines, medical supplies, and other commodities were already prepositioned in Regions I, II, CAR, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, CARAGA, BARMM, and NCR.
In addition, a total of ₱72.8 million worth of commodities are ready for mobilization in the DOH Central Office Warehouse, the DOH reported.
The DOH also said that all its units are on heightened surveillance against possible outbreaks of waterborne and food-borne illnesses in the wake of Paeng’s onslaught. With AFP