BY MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is leading the search, rescue, and retrieval (SRR) operations in Bicol Region where typhoon “Rolly” left at least 16 people dead and a trail of destructions.
Authorities fear that the toll will rise as big boulder of rocks buried about 300 homes in Purok 6 and 7 in Barangay San Francisco, Guinobatan, Albay, according to Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co.
He said “several” people are believed to be buried in the village.
Deaths were recorded in the provinces of Albay and Catanduanes, two of the areas hardest-hit by typhoon in the region, a report from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) bared Monday.
Most of the fatalities were recorded in Guinobatan (three), Malinao (two), and Tabaco City (two) in Albay while one fatality each was noted in Daraga, Oas, and Polangui; and in Gigmoto, Virac, and San Miguel in Catanduanes.
General Gilbert Gapay, AFP chief of staff, said 177 disaster response units composed of 4,000 regular forces were activated for SRR operations and humanitarian and disaster response (HADR) efforts.
A total of five aircrafts from the Philippine Air Force and four vessels from the Philippine Navy were also deployed for these endeavors.
“We are continuously coordinating with various government agencies and local government units to find survivors and the bodies in these areas,” Gapay said.
The AFP has also been assisting government agencies in the delivery of food packs and other relief assistance via sea, air, and land travel in areas hit by “Rolly”, Gapay assured.
Lack of electricity and internet lines made it hard for the national government to assess the extent of damage and send relief assistance in devastated areas, according to the OCD.
Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, civil defense administrator, insisted that communication issues were expected during the series of pre-disaster risk assessment (PDRA) meetings they conducted before typhoon Rolly hit the country.
“Mayroong team from OCD na pumunta doon at may dalang satellite phones kaya lang still nahirapan silang magkaroon ng contact with OCD Region 5 in Legazpi City.
Siguro dahil makapal ‘yung cloud cover, hindi maka-penetrate,” Jalad said in a press briefing at the command center of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
But Jalad said another team from OCD arrived in Virac, Catanduanes on Monday to bring in satellite equipment with strong cloud penetration capabilities that would help establish communication with regional OCD officers and local chief executives.
“The vulnerability of the communications system was identified during the PDRA, that’s why satellite communication-capacitated teams were distributed in the various areas other than the Manila-based NDRRMC teams,” he added.
During the onslaught of typhoon Rolly over the weekend, the clamor for updates on the situation in Catanduanes flooded social media, with netizens worried about the lack of updates in the island province from government authorities.
The trend #NasaanAngCatanduanes even trended on social media to emphasize the lack of updates from the area despite being the first to be hit by typhoon Rolly when it made its first landfall over Bato, Catanduanes.
Jalad said they have yet to determine the extent of typhoon Rolly’s damage in agriculture and infrastructure.
However, Agriculture Secretary William Dar estimated the agricultural damage at P1.1 billion.
“Based on unofficial damage information, malawak ang damage sa agriculture at maraming bahay ang nasira plus roads and bridges. Sa ngayon ang effort is responding to the effects and providing assistance to the victims of the disaster,” Jalad said.
Meanwhile, a total of 372,653 families composed of 2,068,085 individuals were affected by typhoon Rolly in Ilocos (Region 1), Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Central Luzon (Region 3), Calabarzon (Region 4A), Mimaropa (Region 4B), Bicol (Region 5), Western Visayas (Region 6), Central Visayas (Region 7), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), National Capital Region (NCR), and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
