Typhoon Bising agri, infra losses in Bicol reach P167 million

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines — Typhoon Bising (international name: Surigae) has left Bicol with at least P167 million worth of damage to crops, fisheries, and public infrastructure after the heavy rain it dumped on the region early this week caused flooding in several areas, reports from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) showed.

The OCD placed the value of rice, corn, high-value crops and fish destroyed by floods at P156.4 million while damage to roads, bridges, flood control systems and government structures reached P11 million.

When the weather improved on Tuesday, disaster response officials allowed nearly 30,000 residents to return home.

Gremil Alexis Naz, the OCD Bicol spokesperson, said of the 42,853 families (161,186 people) displaced by Bising, only 28,483 families (105,401 people) were allowed to leave evacuation centers on Tuesday.

Naz said 14,289 families (55,483 people) from Catanduanes and 81 families (302 people) in Camarines Norte remained in shelters at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Flooding caused by swollen rivers had isolated villages in the towns of San Miguel, Panganiban, Gigmoto and Virac in Catanduanes; two villages in Daet, Camarines Norte; and a village in Canaman town in Camarines Sur.

Stranded in ports

Port operations in Bicol started on Tuesday afternoon but 971 passengers, three buses, 228 trucks and 94 cars were still grounded at the region’s ports on Wednesday due to the shortage of vessels traveling to the Visayas and Mindanao.

A bulletin issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (Pagasa) showed that the eye of the typhoon, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, was located 345 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan.Pagasa said Bising would move northward or north-northwestward from Wednesday night to Thursday morning when the typhoon would be nearest to the landmass of northern Luzon.

The typhoon is forecast to gradually weaken and exit Philippine territory on Sunday morning.

—MAR S. ARGUELLES