Disaster officials on Wednesday said the reported death toll from Typhoon “Odette” stood at 177, well below the police tally of 375 dead as of Tuesday, while damage to infrastructure and agriculture continued to climb even as teams rushed to aid devastated areas.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also reported 275 people injured and 38 still missing.
The disaster agency said 446,939 people or 109,601 families were staying inside 2,505 evacuation centers, while 107,377 people or 26,588 families sought shelter in the houses of their relatives and friends.
At least 15,618 homes were damaged—13,144 partially and 2,474 totally.
Of the 239 cities and municipalities that suffered power outages, service had been restored to 34, the NDRRMC said. Water supply problems, meanwhile, were being experienced in two areas.
Communication issues were also being experienced in 135 areas in affected regions, the NDRRMC report said.
All of the five airports in the affected areas are now operational, the NDRRMC said, adding that of the 25 suspended domestic flights, eight have already resumed.
A total of 122 seaports went non-operational due to the typhoon, of which 55 are already functioning. At least 1,551 passengers, 690 rolling cargoes, and five vessels were stranded.
At least 308 classes and 267 work schedules were also suspended.
Estimates of agricultural damage soared to P2.6 billion as of Wednesday.
The Department of Agriculture ( DA) said losses were monitored in the Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga regions.
Some 34,747 farmers and fishermen suffered a production loss of an estimated 87,640 metric tons (MT) from 60,451 hectares of affected agricultural areas.
The storm damaged rice, corn, high value crops, livestock, and fisheries production. Agricultural infrastructure, machinery and equipment were also damaged during the storm.
Before the typhoon, farmers harvested 34,433 MT of rice crop planted to 11,454 hectares in the Regions Mimaropa, VI, VIII, IX, XI, and XIII. Harvested paddy rice has an estimated value of P615.53 million.
Harvested corn, meanwhile, totaled 6,975 MT valued at P82.55 million. About 2,452 hectares of corn from Region IV-A, Mimaropa, VIII, IX, XI, and XIII were spared from the typhoon.
Agriculture Regional Field Offices (RFOs) continue to conduct assessment of damages and losses in the agri-fisheries sector.
The DA has prepared at least P1.75 billion worth of readily-available assistance to affected farmers and fishermen.
These include P1 billion worth of Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of affected areas; P148 million worth of rice seeds, P57.6 million worth of corn seeds, P44.6 million worth of assorted vegetables; P500 million credit assistance under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Assistance Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC); P1.64 million worth of fingerlings and assistance to affected fisherfolk from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR); P 625,150 worth of drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry needs from Regional Field Office V; and funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to indemnify affected farmers.
Damage from 10 electric cooperatives affected by typhoon Odette increased to P373.121 million from P300 million reported on Tuesday and the estimates are expected to go higher as more reports come in, the Department of Energy said Wednesday.
Bohol Electric Cooperative I suffered the biggest damage at P344 million, followed by Surigao Electric Cooperative II (P9.46 million) and Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (P5.26 milliion).
Other affected electric cooperatives are Guimaras Electric Cooperative (P2.62 million), Leyte Electric Cooperative III (P297,428), Leyte Electric Cooperative V (P3.55 million), Surigao del Sur Electric Cooperative I (P4 million), Capiz Electric Cooperative (P3 million), Biliran Electric Cooperative (P343,343) and Misamis Oriental Electric Cooperative I (P504,000).
Power has been restored to 633 out of 939 (78.1 percent) municipalities. Power has also been partially restored in 69 municipalities.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) directed the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and distribution utilities in Visayas and Mindanao to speed up their power restoration efforts and show leniency in their consumers’ electricity bills.
“We are reminding both the NGCP and distribution utilities of their mandate of immediate restoration of lines and power supply to their consumers after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette,” ERC chairperson Agnes Devanadera said in a statement.
“Consequently, we expect that all their efforts now are concentrated on ensuring that supply will be restored at the earliest possible time,” Devanadera said.
Based on NGCP data, transmission facilities in Negros Occidental and Oriental, Cebu and Leyte are partially restored but Bohol remains unavailable.
In Mindanao, only transmission services in Surigao del Norte are partially restored.
The ERC, in a recent meeting with the NGCP, required the latter to provide the commission with the status and extent of its transmission lines restoration efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette.
ERC emphasized that during force majeure events, the NGCP and the affected distribution utilities may immediately implement their capital expenditure projects for the restoration of power without seeking prior approval from the ERC.
ERC said that since immediate reporting may hamper the restoration work, a force majeure event notice only is required within three months from the occurrence of the force majeure.
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) fuel subsidiary Petron Corp. assured the public that it has sufficient fuel inventory in the regions despite the extensive damage brought on by typhoon Odette throughout Visayas and Mindanao.
Petron, the country’s biggest oil company, said it is working double-time to repair and safely re-open a number of damaged service stations in the hard-hit areas.
The company reported that all its import facilities and terminals in Visayas-Mindanao have been operational since Saturday, Dec. 18.
However, a number of Petron stations in these regions have remained closed, as they undergo damage assessment and repair.
“One thing’s for sure, we have enough product inventory to serve the needs of our kababayans in Visayas and Mindanao,” said Petron president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang in a statement. “Our biggest challenge however is quickly and safely reopening damaged service stations. Despite limitations, all our teams are working hard to address this. We ask for our countrymen’s understanding. We know there are long lines at service stations, so we’re working with utmost urgency to ease the situation.”
Ang said most Petron stations that are open are currently operating using generators, so even if power outages remain, the stations can continue serving the public.
Ang earlier said the company had also sent fresh stocks of fuel to some provinces to ensure that there will be enough supply for all.
He also announced SMC had also sent P30 million in food donations to some 29 provinces, to help with the massive relief effort.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), meanwhile, had deployed its land, air and sea assets in support of the government’s relief and rehabilitation efforts.
During the Talk to the People on Tuesday night, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told President Rodrigo Duterte that the AFP flew one of its BN-2 Islander aircraft and S-70i “Black Hawk” combat utility helicopter to conduct the rapid damage assessment analysis over the areas of Siargao, Dinagat Islands and Surigao City on Dec. 17.
On Dec. 18, Lorenzana said an Air Force EADS CASA C-295 medium transport aircraft was deployed to bring relief goods to Siargao.
On Dec. 19, a Lockheed C-130 “Hercules” heavy transport aircraft and another S-70i were deployed to transport relief goods and other items from Surigao City to Siargao.
Meanwhile, Lorenzana said the presidential yacht, the BRP Ang Pangulo (AT-25), was converted into a floating hospital and is now headed for Siargao.
The Defense chief added that three other Navy ships, on Dec. 20, started to transport relief goods and medicines to Surigao City, Siargao, and Cebu.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), meanwhile, allocated P100 million to provide emergency employment to 25,000 informal sector workers affected by the typhoon.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the flagship cash-for-work is under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the department to hardest-hit regions. The areas include Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas; Northern Mindanao; and Caraga regions.
Each region will receive P20 million for the emergency employment of 5,000 beneficiaries, Bello said.
“Workers, particularly those in the informal sector, will be given emergency employment for 10 days. They will help in clearing, de-clogging of canals, debris segregation, materials recovery, and other activities needed in the rehabilitation of their communities. Through this engagement, they will not only earn money but also help rebuild their lives and locality,” Bello said.
To determine the eligible beneficiaries, Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns Director Ma. Karina Perida-Trayvilla said the DOLE will be profiling those affected by the calamity.
“The TUPAD program is institutionalized. This is what we implement every time there is a calamity, typhoon, and disasters, including human-made calamities. We will profile those affected by the calamity, particularly our informal sector workers,” said Trayvilla.
Amid the ongoing pandemic and the devastation caused by calamities, Bello said the Labor Department is intensifying the implementation of its emergency employment program.
Also on Wednesday, Globe Telecom Inc. said it restored services in the provinces of Antique, Biliran, Guimaras, and all of Samar.
Globe said it was the first to restore network services in Del Carmen, Siargao Island, San Jose in Dinagat Islands, Lipata Seaport, Surigao City and Surigao Airport.
PLDT and mobile services unit Smart Communications, Inc., on the other hand, restored communication services including 5G in Puerto Princesa in Palawan becoming the first telco to enable residents to make calls, send text messages and connect to the internet in the aftermath of super typhoon Odette.
The PLDT group had earlier restored LTE services in Coron, an island group in northern Palawan, allowing customers to send SMS and transact on their LTE-enabled mobile phones.
