MANILA – At least 118 people were killed while many others were reported injured and missing when landslides caused by typhoon “Pepeng†buried houses in several “barangays†(villages) in the Northern Luzon highlands, according to reports reaching the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).
Of the total, an NDCC spokesman said the province of Benguet in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (Car) accounted for 96 dead while the resort city of Baguio, known as the “summer capital of the Philippines,†had 29.
The rest of the dead were reported from the other provinces in Car as well as those in the lowlands in Northern Luzon which also suffered heavy damage in terms of human lives lost as well as government infrastructure, private property and the farm sector caused by Pepeng (international codename “Parmaâ€).
Although Pepeng has turned into a tropical depression from a typhoon, it lingered and made landfall in extreme Northern Luzon at least thrice, bringing rains that flooded provinces in the region.
Weathermen said the rains unleashed by Pepeng caused floods in several provinces, worsened by the release of water from at least five dams from Northern and Central Luzon, which inundated low lying areas in Pangasinan, La Union, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Pampanga.
As a result, as relief and rehabilitation efforts continued in Metro Manila and neighboring areas inundated by typhoon “Ondoy†(international codename “Ketsanaâ€), NDCC and other officials shifted their attention on Friday especially to the provinces of Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija.
Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. reported to the NDCC that 80 percent of the 30 towns and cities along the eastern portion of the province were heavily flooded, with many of the residents seeking refuge at the rooftops.
Espino added that Baguio City and the other provinces in Northern Luzon, like La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, have been isolated because of impassable roads and destroyed bridges leading to these areas from Pangasinan.
Radio stations based in Metro Manila were also swamped with mostly text messages from the flood victims in Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija, who were appealing for teams to rescue them.
One of the most affected towns in Pangasinan was Rosales where thousands of shoppers were trapped inside a three-storey mall, radio reports said.
Reports said the shoppers were forced to stay overnight and faced danger as the waters continued to rise.
It was only on Friday that rescue teams arrived aboard motorized rubber boats to bring them to safety, officials said.
On its third return, weathermen said Pepeng proved to be more devastating as its rain and wind killed more people and destroyed more properties.
Weathermen said Pepeng slipped into the sea off Cagayan province for a while before hitting land for the third time.
The weather disturbance was projected to be 80 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Vigan in Ilocos Sur Saturday afternoon before finally making its exit from the Philippine area of responsibility.
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