MANILA, Philippines—Storm “Feria” plowed through the Visayas and southern Luzon Tuesday, killing at least five people and bringing tornadoes, floods, landslides and power cuts across small islands.

A tornado caught a fishing boat docked for safety in a cove of the island town of Perez in Quezon shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Three of the crew men drowned, while their captain died at the hospital from serious injuries.

Another twister hit four fishing villages of Can-avid town in Eastern Samar at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday, damaging 26 houses.

The Philippine National Police has placed its units on alert nationwide in anticipation of disaster response, rescue and rehabilitation work.

Oriental Mindoro Gov. Arnan C. Panaligan asked the provincial board to declare a state of calamity.

Weathermen plotted Feria (international code-name: Nangka) over Calapan City in Mindoro Oriental or 70 kilometers southwest of Tayabas, Quezon, as of 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The storm kept its peak winds of 75 kilometers per hour near the center with gustiness of up to 90 kph, and was moving slightly slower northwest at 17 kph.

It was expected to pass to within 80 km southwest of Metro Manila between 9 and 11 last night, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

This afternoon, Pagasa said, Feria would be 130 km west of Dagupan City in Pangasinan and 310 km west of Basco, Batanes, Thursday.

Air, sea trips canceled

Ferries were barred from sailing, leaving 3,000 commuters and 227 vessels stranded, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Sea trips were canceled at the ports in Romblon, Batangas, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Sorsogon and provinces in Eastern Visayas.

More than 50 domestic flights leaving and arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) were canceled.

At the Manila Domestic Airport, six morning flights of Sea Air and 10 flights of Zest Air were canceled, along with 10 Cebu Pacific flights and five Philippine Airlines flights at the Naia Terminal 3.

In the afternoon and early evening, eight PAL flights and six Air Philippines flights were canceled.

The Manila International Airport Authority, which runs the Naia, said operations at Naia Terminals 1 and 2 were normal. At press time, its website (www.manila-airport.net) recorded at least nine delayed international and domestic flights.

Seconds in the air

Senior Insp. Susan Planas, Perez police chief, said in a mobile phone interview that the MV Anabel with 15 crew members on board, was docked facing the Pacific Ocean off Sitio Pinagbayanan in Barangay Sangirin when the tornado caught it.

“The boat was lifted by the twister several meters high, stayed for several seconds in the air, and later dropped upside down. Three of the crew men were trapped inside their cabin and drowned,” Planas said.

She said the boat captain, Roberto Lungasa, was severely wounded in the left arm and leg, and was declared dead at the hospital. She identified the other fatalities as Joven Rajas, Boyet Prias and Ryan Prugada.

Two other crew members, Paquito and Reniel Pedrinal, were injured and brought to the Alabat municipal hospital.

Other casualties

An unidentified person was reported to have drowned in floodwaters in Hilutungan off Bantayan Island in Cebu, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).

Two fishermen were missing in Hernani town and two in Guiuan town, both in Eastern Samar; and one in Malitbog town in Leyte, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Eastern Visayas said.

The Coast Guard in Romblon reported that two fishermen from San Fernando town on Sibuyan Island had been missing since Tuesday.

Fourteen people were rescued after 12 hours of drifting at sea when their motorized banca, Jun.jun 2, capsized in the Hilutungan Channel in Cordova town in Cebu. Two of them were hospitalized.

The boat had been rented by one passenger to bring them to Cebu from Tubigon town in Bohol on Tuesday afternoon and catch a flight at the Mactan Cebu International Airport at night, said Cmdr. Anelito Gabisan, chief of the Coast Guard district in Central and Eastern Visayas.

Two hours after leaving Tubigon, it met strong winds and big waves.

The four crew members and 10 passengers held on to the capsized banca until they were found by an outrigger boat.

Power cuts

Feria plunged Batangas City and the towns of Bauan and San Pascual in Batangas, Romblon and Oriental Mindoro, as well as Sibuyan and Tablas Islands, into darkness. Power cuts were also reported in parts of Manila.

Landslides and floods made roads and bridges impassable in San Agustin, Looc and Alcantara towns in Romblon, according to district engineer Rolindo Perez of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Classes suspended

Classes in all levels were suspended in Oriental Mindoro while government offices suspended work in the afternoon.

In Naujan town, Mayor Romar Marcos said coastal areas were already flooded. He asked for help in evacuating residents.

Pola town declared a state of calamity and evacuees were taken to Barangay Bayanan.

In Marinduque, rains and strong winds battered the towns of Buenavista, Gasan and Torrijos, municipal social welfare officers reported to their chief, Julpha Arevalo.

PNP to rescue

PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa directed on Wednesday regional police chiefs to be ready to send police on rescue, evacuation, relief and rehabilitation efforts as Camp Crame had started receiving reports of casualties, flooding and property damage.

Verzosa also alerted for deployment special units, such as the Maritime Group, the Special Action Force and other national units trained in disaster response operations.

Storm signals

Feria is expected to exit the country by Saturday.

Storm Signal No. 2 was hoisted over Metro Manila, northern Quezon, Marinduque, the Mindoro provinces, Lubang Island, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Bataan, Rizal, Pampanga, Bulacan, Zambales and Tarlac.

Signal No. 1 was declared over the Calamian group of islands, Cuyo Island, Romblon, Burias Island, southern Quezon, Polillo Island, the Camarines provinces, southern Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Aklan and northern Antique.