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Friday, March 18, 2005
3 die, 2 missing in Leyte mishap
By Garry Cabotaje
With Mia E. Abellana, Rene H. Martel & Oscar C. Pineda
CEBU CITY -- Typhoon Auring spared Cebu from a major disaster, but it still left in its wake three deaths in Ormoc City and one in Bantayan Island Thursday.
Mb Esperanza, a passenger boat, capsized in bad weather while it was anchored some 1.5 nautical miles off Ormoc City port around 2:30 a.m., killing three passengers.
Also, a motorbanca carrying seven passengers capsized when buffeted by strong winds and big waves while on its way to Olango Island from Jetafe, Bohol last Wednesday afternoon.
Luckily, all the passengers, mostly senior citizens, were rescued by a passing motorbanca that ferried them safely to Barangay Sabang, one of Olango's eight barangays.
Lt. Commander Charlie Rances, Ormoc City Coast Guard (CG) chief, identified the three fatalities as Maria Gobalane, 51, Renato Otero and Angelita Celendron, 42, all of Poro, Camotes Island in Cebu.
He corrected earlier reports that Lito Guinocor, 47, was among the fatalities.
2 missing
Two other passengers-Helen Suralta, 45, and Rey Celendron, 42-were still missing as of press time. The CG believed they were trapped when strong winds and waves overturned mb Esperanza.
In Bantayan, Cebu, Mayor Geralyn Escario reported that Demetria Desamparado, 72, died after a coconut tree fell and hit her while doing chores outside at 5:30 a.m.
Escario said the strong winds that whipped the island had already subsided when Desamparado went out to clean her house's vicinity.
However, a sudden strong wind came and brought down a coconut tree, which hit the old woman, Escario said.
Cebu City, on the other hand, hardly felt typhoon Auring, but the town of Daanbantayan in the north reported an estimated P1 million worth of damage after strong winds thrashed crops, a pumpboat and a house.
Chief Insp. Teofilo Siclot, Daanbantayan police chief, said in a report to the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) that several trees were uprooted and blocked several areas in the highway of Barangays Malingin and Bitoon.
Slide watch
Vehicles were unable to pass the highway for a time, but the fallen trees were later removed.
Apart from Daanbantayan, Acting CPPO Director Vicente Loot said the rest of the northern towns did not have any reports of major incidents.
Still, the Cebu City Government did not take any chances and monitored landslide-prone barangays.
Councilor Gerardo Carillo, City Hall's action officer, said he ordered members of the City Disaster Coordinating Center (CDCC) to check mountain barangays because despite the good weather, winds were strong, especially in areas above sea level.
After meeting with CDCC officials Thursday morning, Carillo ordered the Cebu City Transport office to dispatch the multicabs to the mountain barangays.
Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) units were likewise sent to make reconnaissance patrols.
Carillo specially mentioned Barangays Sinsin, Sudlon 1, Sudlon 2, Babag, Malubog and Sirao as the most landslide-prone areas.
Blackout
Strong winds came to the north of Cebu between 1 and 5 a.m. Thursday.
Bantayan Mayor Escario reported damage to banana plants and roofs blown away by the storm.
The Bantayan Electric Cooperative intentionally cut off the power supply in the island Thursday dawn for the residents' safety.
Electricity was partly restored around 11 a.m.
As to the Ormoc sea mishap, Rances clarified that the 23 passengers of mb Esperanza were taking shelter in the boat when the incident happened.
The boat had seven crewmembers.
It could not leave for Camotes Island yet as it has not secured its certificate of public convenience from the Maritime Industry Authority.
"The motorbanca has been tied at the port area since I assumed office last March 11," Rances said.
Whipped
When the CG announced the expected bad weather, mb Esperanza skipper Diosdado Otero opted to anchor the vessel some 1.5 nautical miles off Ormoc City pier.
However, strong winds and waves whipped hard the motorboat past 2 a.m. and broke its two wooden outriggers, Rances said.
He said the motorbanca was swept back to the shoreline before it flipped.
CG operatives, who hold office at the Ormoc City port, then launched rescue efforts, saving 25 survivors.
Rescuers also retrieved the motorboat past 2 p.m. and brought it back to the port area near the Ormoc public Market.
Meanwhile, Danny Obrero of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) 7 identified the rescued Olango-bound passengers as Lucy Aparece, the banca owner and wife of Sabang Barangay Captain Rogelio Aparece; Josefica Ompad, 70; Crisanta Bacante, 60; Bernardo Tisoy, 80; Vicenta Daño, 52; Marcela Patigdas, 55; and Eugene Butalid, boat skipper.
The RDCC 7 said strong winds brought about by Auring broke the boat's right hull, causing it to capsize.
| Post your experiences to the Sun.Star Graduation section. Click here. | 2005-02-24 04:52:02
mcalvo - My graduation was unforgettable to me and to my classmates. I was so drunk the night before graduation. During the ceremony i dozed to the point of snooring even when i was already standing i was half sleeping. Our dean has to call my name twice and the person behind me has to push me just to wake me up... graduations are memorable...enjoy and congratulations to all graduates!
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(March 18, 2005 issue)
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