The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Wednesday, July 24, that it was confirming a report that at least four people died in a landslide that struck Agoncillo, Batangas amid a heavy downpour.
The bodies of the fatalities were recovered in Sitio Manalao, Brgy. Subic Ilaya on Wednesday morning, according to the local government of Agoncillo.
The local government said the fatalities included a six-month-old pregnant woman aged 28 and minors.
“We are verifying with our concerned regional office regarding this report,” the NDRRMC public information office said.
Part of the verification process is to determine if the incident was connected to the onslaught of Typhoon “Carina” which has also enhanced the effects of southwest monsoon (habagat) in many parts of the country, including Batangas.
882K individuals affected
In its latest report, the NDRRMC said that a total of 882,861 individuals (183,464) families have already been affected by the combined effects of Carina, habagat, and the former tropical depression “Butchoy” which already left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) last weekend.
More than 612,000 individuals (123,000) families were displaced by the three weather systems since July 18.
A total of 423 areas across the country were submerged from gutter-deep to chest-deep floods, according to data from the NDRRMC.
In Pangasinan, a fisherman was rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and bystanders after he got stranded near the Binday Dam in Brgy. Binday, San Fabian town on Tuesday, July 23.
The Coast Guard Station Pangasinan identified the rescued fisherman as Renato Ceralde, 57.
“[He] was caught off guard by the gradually rising water level of the dam,” the PCG said.
In Batangas, more than 200 residents living near a coastal community were evacuated by the personnel of Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog (CGDSTL) in Brgy. Maguihan, Lemery town.
Carina and habagat caused big waves which reached the coastal village, prompting authorities to evacuate the residents.
The CGDSTL also conducted another search and rescue mission in Sitio Pandan, Brgy. Parang, Calapan, Oriental Mindoro as the area was hit by knee-deep floods. The rescued residents were brought to Barangay Parang evacuation center.
In Romblon, the PCG deployed search and rescue personnel from the Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Looc to evacuate a family of five who got stranded due to the sudden increase in water levels at the Carolina Bridge in Sitio Sanggotan, Brgy. Poblacion in Looc town.
Accordingly, other members of the victims’ families had already evacuated but they were left behind when the floodwater suddenly rose.
PCG personnel also helped seven stranded residents in Sitio Paraw, Brgy. Sto. Nino, Sablayan Occidental Mindoro to evacuate using rescue boats as the area was submerged in floodwaters.
Stranded
Meanwhile, a total of 354 passengers were stranded in various ports in Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions as Carina forced the cancellation of sea trips.
The PCG said the affected ports included Tilik Port, San Andres Port, Romblon Port, san Agustin Port, San Jose Port, and Real Port in Southern Tagalog; and Manaoagan Port, Port of Pasacao, Aroroy Port, Masbate City Port, Mobo Port, San Pascual Port, and Bulan Port in Bicol region.
Agri damage hits P9.7M
The NDRRMC said damage to agriculture due to Carina, habagat, and Butchoy has already reached P9,706,852.34, with 1,453 farmers and fisherfolk affected in Mimaropa (Region 4B), Western Visayas (Region 6), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), Northern Mindanao (Region 10), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
This is expected to further increase as the cost of damage in other regions have yet to be calculated by concerned agencies and reported to the NDRRMC.
Damage to infrastructure due to Carina was still being validated as of this writing.
A total of 245 houses were also either partially damaged or totally destroyed in nine affected regions.
Meanwhile, the NDRRMC has distributed P29 million worth of food and non-food items to 23,000 affected families.