‘Enteng’ death toll now 15; PBBM orders tightened dam watch

QUICK RESPONSE. Government maintenance teams remove a fallen tree at the corner of C.P. Garcia Avenue and Maginhawa Street in Diliman, Quezon City on Monday (Sept 2, 2024). Metro Manila has been under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 since the previous day due to Tropical Storm Enteng. (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler)

By Darryl John Esguerra, Ferdinand Patinio, Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The death toll from the combined effects of Tropical Storm Enteng (international name Yagi) and the southwest monsoon or “habagat” has reached 15.

In a situation briefing presided by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) office in Camp Aguinaldo, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Operations Service Director Cesar Idio said the province of Rizal has the highest death count with eight.

Cebu City, Northern Samar, and Naga City recorded two deaths each, while Negros Occidental reported one fatality.

Aside from this, 21 persons were reported missing while 15 persons were also injured, he said.

“These are still subject for validation, Mr. President,” the OCD official told the President.

Idio also reported that a total of 1,720,568 individuals or 442,804 families were affected by Enteng, with Bicol region the most affected area, followed by Central Luzon, Eastern Visayas, and Metro Manila.

Enteng also caused PHP350.85 million worth of damage to the agriculture sector, with 13,623 farmers affected and recording a volume of production loss at 14.814 metric tons in 8,893 hectares of agricultural areas of rice, corn and high-value crops.

PHP33-million aid

A total of PHP33 million worth of food and non-food items have been distributed to the typhoon victims, Idio said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it is stockpiling additional food packs in its warehouses nationwide to replenish supply.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said this is also in preparation for upcoming storms.

President Marcos assured the public that the government remains on alert amid the inclement weather.

“We are continuing to monitor all the situations everywhere. Hopefully pagdaan nitong weather system na ito, makapunta tayo at makapag-provide ng assistance (after this weather system has passed, we can go and personally provide assistance),” he said.

Tighten dam watch

Marcos also ordered government agencies to prepare for possible flooding in areas near water reservoirs and asked the weather bureau to keep its reports on the dam and flood situations updated.

While Severe Tropical Storm Enteng is already out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), parts of the country may still experience torrential rain, Marcos said.

“Although Enteng is still dropping rainfall, this is another aspect of the flood control that we have to deal with. We might have to deal with kung patuloy pa rin ang pag-ulan na mabigat ay kailangan — baka mapilitan tayo na magbitaw ng tubig (if heavy rainfall continue to persist, we might be forced to release water). So, let’s watch that closely. We’ll keep up to date on that,” the President said.

‘Brace for upcoming storms’

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also reported during the meeting that two tropical cyclones may enter the country next week.

This prompted Marcos to remind concerned government agencies to remain vigilant.

Marcos said weather systems now develop much more quickly than they used to due to climate change, citing the experience of the country with Super Typhoons Yolanda in 2012 and Odette in 2021.

Partial infra damage top P54M

The impact of the two weather disturbances has left an initial PHP54.26 million worth of damage to infrastructure, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Wednesday.

Based on the report of the DPWH-Bureau of Maintenance (BOM) as of 6 a.m. the damaged roads, bridges, and flood control structures were reported in the Cordillera, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas.

Central Visayas incurred the most damage worth PHP25.78 million, followed by Eastern Visayas with PHP23.64 million while Cordillera logged PHP4.8 million.

Meanwhile, one road section in Isabela province is currently closed to all types of vehicles while another road in Mountain Province has limited access due to the effects of bad weather.

The Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge, connecting Barangay Casibarag Norte, Cabagan and Barangay Mozzozzin, Sta. Maria, in Isabela is impassable to a high water elevation of 1.2 meters.

On the other hand, the Tabuk-Enrile Road in Tabrak, Anabel, Sadanga, Mountain Province is only passable to light vehicles due to rock/slope collapse.

Navy deploys rescue teams

The Philippine Navy on Wednesday said it deployed disaster response and rescue teams (DRRTs) and surge rapid response teams (SRRTs) to Metro Manila and nearby provinces to help in the ongoing disaster relief efforts.

PN spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos, in a statement, said the Naval Installation and Facilities Cavite DRRT Team rescued a total of 103 evacuees and transported them to Cavite State University (CAVSU)-Niog, a designated evacuation center.

Aside from this, PN personnel, together with the 404th Solar Wind Task Force Battalion personnel, loaded a total of 430 sacks of relief goods, which will be transported to the Bacoor City Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Office (DRRMO).

“Equipped and prepared for immediate assistance, the PN DRRTs and SRRTs mobilized its resources to mitigate the effects of Typhoon Enteng and provide timely aid to those in need,” he added.