The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Tuesday (September 30) that 15 additional fatalities possibly linked to Severe Tropical Storm ‘Opong’ are being validated in Bicol and Eastern Visayas, which could raise the death toll to 42.
OCD Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV noted that 27 deaths have so far been confirmed from the combined impact of Opong, Super Typhoon Nando, Tropical Depression Mirasol, and the enhanced habagat, according to reports submitted to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
This includes nine deaths in Bicol (Region 5), eight in Cagayan Valley (Region 2), four in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), two each in Central Luzon (Region 3) and Central Visayas (Region 7), and one each in Mimaropa (Region 4B) and Eastern Visayas (Region 8).
“The official count stands at 27 but 15 more reported deaths from Regions 5 and 8 are still under validation,” Alejandro said.
Most of the deaths undergoing validation were in Biliran province where senior citizens, who returned to their homes were swept away by raging flash floods and storm surges.
The cases were being confirmed by the Management of the Dead and the Missing (MDM) Cluster headed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Meanwhile, a serious issue emerged in the island-province of Masbate—considered as the hardest-hit by ‘Opong’—with the reported scarcity of fuel supply, which could complicate disaster relief operations.
Out of the 3.5 million individuals affected by the successive weather disturbances across 16 regions, more than 1.2 million individuals were in Bicol, the highest in the NDRRMC tally, and about 150,000 were in Masbate.
Alejandro said there were reports indicating that fuel stocks on the island are running low, affecting mobility and delivery of relief goods and prolonging disruptions in transport, electricity, and communication services.
He said coordination has been made with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to expedite the movement of emergency supplies, including fuel, from mainland Bicol to Masbate.
Although ports remain open, prioritization of critical cargo has become necessary to sustain relief and recovery work, he noted.
Alejandro said road clearing operations in Masbate were ongoing to repair power lines, with electricity restoration efforts by the Department of Energy (DOE) dependent on sufficient fuel availability.
Further, Alejandro said that around 105,000 individuals remained in over 1,500 evacuation centers nationwide, including 29,000 evacuees in Masbate with urgent need for shelter materials to support housing rehabilitation.
Food for the evacuees was not a problem, according to Alejandro, as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was restocking the supply of pre-positioned family food packs that were already used to feed the displaced residents.
“We are doing everything to prioritize their needs,” Alejandro said. “Rest assured of our continued assistance and support to all those affected local government units.”
