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Residents of Poblacion 3 cross the Bugaan River in Laurel, Batangas on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, after the Bugaan bridge was destroyed by the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine.’ In Talisay, Batangas, relatives pay their last respects to their loved ones killed during a landslide in Barangay Sampaloc. In Naga, people on a boat conduct relief operations at a flooded area due to the heavy rains that have yet to subside. Danny Pata, Screengrab from a Facebook video of Joyce Ann Atienza, AFP
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 254 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES OCTOBER 27, 2024
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RODY TO ATTEND SENATE DRUG WAR PROBE – BATO NEWS | A2
BEYONCE BOOSTS HARRIS’ WHITE HOUSE CAMPAIGN WORLD | A4
ASEAN NEIGHBORS SEND AIR ASSETS TO HELP IN RESCUE, RECOVERY EFFORTS
‘KRISTINE’ DEATH TOLL: 87; INFRA, AGRI DAMAGE: P291M RACE TO FIND MISSING AS NEW TROPICAL STORM ‘LEON’ ENTERS PH
By Charles Dantes and Rex Espiritu
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ESCUERS raced against time to reach people still stranded or missing in areas made inaccessible by flooding from Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” which displaced nearly half a million people and killed at least 87, as tropical storm “Kong-Rey” is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility today and develop into a typhoon by Monday. Kong-Rey, last spotted 1,630 kilometers east of Central Luzon, will be named “Leon” upon entering the country. While an Agence France Presse tally based on official police and disaster agency sources put the death toll at 87, the Office of Civil Defense logged a slightly lower total of 81 fatalities.
OCD Administrator Usec. Ariel Nepomuceno said 66 persons were reported injured while 34 remained reported missing. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, at least 4.472 million people or equivalent to 1.062 million families
were severely affected by the weather disturbance. NDRRMC spokesperson Edgar Posadas said Bicol Region was hit the hardest with 473,920 affected individuals, followed by Eastern Visayas with 178,685, Central Luzon with 104,682 and BARMM with 89,132. Damage to infrastructure stood at P203.82 million, accounting for damaged roads, bridges, school buildings, government facilities and health facilities. Damage to agriculture, on the other hand, was estimated at P87.52 million, affecting 3,049 farmers and fisherfolk and 1,613.77 hectares of crops. There are 83 cities and municipalities placed under state of calamity due to “Kristine,” Posadas said. In Batangas, rescuers were using backhoes and shovels to dig through mud as high as high as three meters (10 feet) in a desperate search for the
missing in areas hit by landslides. “We are desperate to find people in safe condition. Deep inside, I am hoping that many of those reported missing are not under the mud and boulders, but simply went somewhere without telling others,” provincial police chief Jacinto Malinao said. The number of confirmed dead in Batangas stood at 51, with at least 22 people missing. In the Bicol region, residents trapped on the roofs and upper floors of their homes were still awaiting desperately needed assistance. “The floods have yet to subside. Calls asking for help are still pouring here,” regional police director Andre Dizon said. “We need to rescue them as soon as possible because starvation can be a problem. We’re hearing reports that children are already getting sick.” With AFP
WE NEVER FORGOT YOU, MARCOS TELLS STORM VICTIMS IN BICOL By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Saturday assured displaced residents in the Bicol Region of the government’s continued assistance in the aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” as his office released P80 million in financial aid. “You can expect that so long as the government is here, we will con-
tinue to help you,” Mr. Marcos said as he checked on the condition of the affected families temporarily staying at the Naga City Hall on Saturday. “Please know that we never forgot you and we are always thinking of how to help you,” he added. Bicol was among the hardest hit regions by “Kristine,” with several residential areas and agricultural lands submerged in floodwaters,
affecting more than 1.8 million people or 384,436 families. Before visiting the evacuation center, Mr. Marcos also inspected Causip village in the town of Bula. The Department of Social Welfare and Development distributed P56.5 million worth of family food packs as an immediate response to families affected by the storm in Bicol. A presidential helicopter – the Bell 412 – was also being used to deliver
essential relief supplies to communities battered by “Kristine.” The helicopter transported goods from Tactical Operations Group 5 in Legazpi to Libon, Albay. As this developed, President Marcos vowed to pursue a long-term flood control project in the Bicol region, underscoring how climate change and increasingly severe weather patterns have made urgent action essential.
TIMELY AID. (Left) President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. personally checks on displaced residents at an evacuation center in Naga City. (Right) Military personnel unload two metric tons of hotdogs and 1,000 boxes of canned goods for residents affected by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine.’ PPA Pool, PCO
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FOUR Southeast Asian nations – Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia – are sending assistance to the Philippines to support ongoing recovery efforts after the devastation left by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, the Office of Civil Defense said. “Other countries are helping us – it’s automatic for Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia to help. They’ve also sent their air assets,” OCD administrator Usec. Ariel Nepomuceno said. The Singaporean Ministry of Defense confirmed it will send a C-130 transport aircraft to aid in humanitarian efforts. “The Singapore Armed Forces contributions underscore the warm and friendly bilateral and defense ties and close Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) cooperation between Singapore and the Philippines,” the ministry said. Malaysia also deployed an EC 725 AP helicopter from its No. 5 Squadron in Labuan Air Base to support disaster relief missions in “Kristine”-hit areas. The mission was led by Maj. Thaddeus Raphael ak Azis of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, accompanied by a team of 15 personnel. Earlier, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites across the country would be activated for relief and rescue operations. He said the EDCA sites would be used to airlift relief goods, personnel, and equipment, especially in areas with unpassable road networks. There are currently nine EDCA sites across the country – the Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu; Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan. Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said their American counterparts are ready to deploy their planes to the EDCA sites. “In terms of the airlift capability, we already have alerted most of our aircraft. But we also coordinated with our US counterparts, and they are ready to send in their aircraft using our EDCA sites,” Brawner said. Charles Dantes
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