The death toll from Typhoon “Tisoy" rose to 12 after the strongest storm this year hammered parts of Luzon and the Visayas, field reports indicated Wednesday.
Typhoon Tisoy also left in its wake about half a billion pesos worth of production losses mainly on rice, corn, and high-value crops, the Agriculture department reported.
Two of the latest deaths were from Catanauan, Quezon and Ormoc, Leyte, both of them from drowning, police said.
Most of those killed were from Mimaropa and the Bicol Region, where Tisoy made four landfalls since Saturday.
The Office of Civil Defense-Region 4B identified the latest fatality as Minay Bernabe, who died when a coconut tree fell on her in Marinduque.
In Quezon, one died after being struck by lightning while fishing in Polilio Island, while another was hit by a felled tree.
One was reported killed in Leyte after also being hit by a tree.
Two died from heart attacks at the height of the storm.
In Limbamanan, Camarines Sur, a 33-year-old man was electrocuted when a live wire fell and hit the metal roof of his house.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokesman Mark Timbal said they were still verifying the casualties as the provinces of Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Albay, Oriental
Mindoro and Camarines Sur were placed under a state of calamity due to the extent of damage done by Tisoy, which packed winds of 155 kph.
The NDRRMC said at least 38 houses were damaged by the typhoon in the Cordillera Autonomous Region and Caraga.
At least 203 areas were still without power after Tisoy toppled poles and transmission lines.
Twelve road sections were impassable after they were damaged by the torrential rains that Tisoy brought.
A total of 123,912 families or 495,408 people were affected by the powerful typhoon in Central Luzon, Bicol, Central Visayas, Metro Manila, and Mimaropa
Most of the damage was done to the farming communities in Calabarzon and the Bicol region, which suffered losses estimated at P531.61 million, affecting 14,637 hectares and 3,808 farmers.
The Regional Field Office in Calabarzon has taken custody of some 3,230 bags of rice seed reserves for distribution to farmers whose standing crops were destroyed by the typhoon.
Regional Field Office V also made available 3,163 bags of rice seeds, 2,632 bags of corn seeds, and 322 kgs of vegetable seeds to be distributed to the affected farmers who are ready to replant.
The Calbayog City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council recommended placing the entire city under state of calamity after Typhoon Tisoy left a trail of destruction.
CCDRRMC members agreed on Wednesday to recommend the declaration of a state of calamity as the city suffered the brunt of this year’s most powerful typhoon.
“We expect the city council to act immediately on the request for the city government to use our calamity funds,” said Ronald Ricafort, Calbayog information officer.
The typhoon has affected the city’s 21 villages with several buildings damaged by strong winds. At least 33 houses were destroyed while 2,752 were partially damaged, said Ricafort.
The Department of Education initially reported heavily damaged school buildings in the villages of Bante, Dinagan, and Tinaplacan in the Tinaplacan district.
The wharf at the Maguino-o pier was also damaged due to big waves.
The city government is still consolidating reports from the affected villages to determine the cost of the damage.
Strong winds and torrential rains caused severe flooding, uprooted trees, and toppled electric posts and power lines. Several areas in the city are still without electricity and with weak communication signals.
Classes in private and public schools in all levels have been suspended in the city until Wednesday.
The Legazpi Airport, which was heavily damaged by Typhoon Tisoy, resumed its commercial operations on Wednesday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
CAAP Area Center 5 manager Cynthia Tumanut said the airport is using the undamaged section of the passenger terminal building as temporary arrival and pre-departure areas.
Meanwhile, the Busuanga Airport and its tower operations were suspended due to strong wind and heavy rains in the area.
Marinduque Airpor also suffered some damage, the CAAP said.
The managers of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said operations would return to normal on or before the weekend.
“We will try our best, hopefully in the next two days it will normalize, in the sense that there won’t be additional flights to operate,” said NAIA General Manager Eddie Monreal in an interview with radio dzMM.
Operations at the NAIA were suspended for 12 hours on Tuesday, cancelling at least 480 international and domestic flights.
Monreal said the closing of the airport was a safety precaution in anticipation of the onslaught of the typhoon.
Monreal said at least 153 flights, 121 of them arrivals and 32 departures, were mounted at the Manila airport since it partially reopened at 6 p.m. Tuesday. He added that the authorities are now coordinating with the airlines to accommodate their additional or recovery flights.
In related developments:
• The state-run pension Government Service Insurance System and Social Security System on Wednesday said loan assistance will be offered to members and pensioners in areas affected by Typhoon Tisoy.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, GSIS Vice President for Visayas Operations Joseph Philip Andres said an Emergency Loan Program will soon be available to GSIS members and pensioners in typhoon-affected areas.
Andres said members and pensioners may borrow P20,000, payable in three years in equal monthly installments with an 8-percent interest rate.
• SSS Member Loans Department acting head Boobie Ocay said SSS members may soon apply for Calamity Loan Assistance Program.
Ocay said under CLAP, qualified members may be granted a loan amount equivalent to their respective average monthly salary credit, which is computed based on the average of the last 12 MSCs.
The loan amount will be payable in two years in equal monthly installments at an interest rate of 10 percent per annum. With PNA
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