'Reming' leaves P1-B infra damage in Bicol

The damage to infrastructure caused by typhoon "Reming" in the Bicol region has been pegged at P1 billion, a senior official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported Friday. Oscar Cristobal, deputy regional director for Region V, said the weather disturbance destroyed school buildings, regional government offices, roads and flood control projects The DPWH official did not provide a breakdown of the figure. "Up to now, all units are still on the alert as there are already 30 confirmed deaths in Daraga, Albay, while hundreds remain missing," he said. Most of the victims were reportedly swept away by cascading floodwaters and mudflows from Mayon Volcano that hit the Padang Waterway and headed toward Albay Gulf. Cristobal also reported that the Maharlika Highway from Camalig to Legazpi City remained impassable as of late Friday afternoon. Field clearing underway On the other hand, the main office of the DPWH said it is has deployed maintenance teams in typhoon-ravaged areas to conduct field clearing and restoration works. Director Louie Mamitag, who was tapped to implement the contingency measures and typhoon preparedness plans, said that his group is working closely with national and local government teams in providing assistance in Bicol, the hardest hit by Reming. "Aside from Catanduanes, and some parts of the Bicol area, which remains isolated due to [downed] power and communication lines, other areas remain relatively fine as teams from our field and regional offices are on the ground to conduct field clearing and restoration works to open channels of transportation," he said. Meralco damage minimal Meanwhile, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said Friday that the damage caused by the typhoon to its facilities was insignificant. According to Meralco, only 37 out of the 738 distribution circuits or five percent were destroyed by Reming. The areas affected include Batangas City, Sto. Tomas and San Pascual in Batangas; Lucena, Tayabas, Tiaong and Dolores in Quezon; and San Pablo, Pila, Liliw, Majayjay, Nagcarlan and Magdalena in Laguna. Elpi Cuna, Meralco vice president and corporate communication's chief, said that while the typhoon only caused minimal damage the Lopez-owned firm has started power restoration in the typhoon-hit areas. "We are just relieved that not much damage was wrought by the typhoon to our facilities. Our customers can be rest assured that we in Meralco will respond just as immediately in fixing the circuits that have been damaged," Cuna said. Cuna said Meralco has asked the assistance of the local government units (LGUs) in the affected areas to help the company in safeguarding its facilities. During the typhoon Milenyo, Meralco reported that power cable theft was extensive. "We would like to seek the help of local government officials in apprehending people and syndicates who might take advantage of the situation and pilfer our electric lines and other facilities. The LGU's help will ensure faster restoration of electric service," Cuna said. PAL flights resume Also Friday, flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) resumed its operations after the weather disturbance slowed down and headed for the China Sea. Save for the cancellation of its 11 early-morning domestic flights at the height of the storm's closest passage to the capital, PAL operated nearly its full schedule of domestic and international services. At least 10 narrow-bodied PAL jets used mainly for domestic and regional flights were moved to airports in the Visayas just after midnight last night as the typhoon brushed the southern flanks of the capital. PAL said it will allow 87 percent of its scheduled 84 flights between Manila and 18 provincial points as well as operate all 45 flights between Manila, Cebu and 20 international points. "We shall adhere as close as possible to the published departure times of our flights though passengers should expect some delays as we strive to get our aircraft back into the system," said PAL president Jaime J. Bautista. Assistance funds readied At Malacañang, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo directed the Department of Budget and Management to make available "savings and unutilized portions" of the Priority Development Assistance Fund for the relief and rehabilitation operations after the onslaught of Reming. Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said the funds can only be used for the repair or replacement of damaged public works and agriculture infrastructure and assist victims who lost their homes and livelihood. He said the money would be "directly released" to national government agencies and local governments units in areas severely affected by the typhoon. Andaya said the funds would be released once damage-assessment report from the National Disaster Coordinating Council and cost estimates for the repairs had been submitted to the budget department. "Pending the submission of these, we can't peg the amount that will be drawn from PDAF but all releases will be made in a transparent manner," he said adding that the release of the PDAF funds would be strictly on a "need basis." Andaya assured that PDAF of opposition leaders in affected provinces would also be released on their request. He said in helping the people, "you don’t ask if they voted for an administration or opposition candidate to determine if they deserve the assistance or not." "Politics has never played a role in government’s calamity work…typhoons don’t choose their victims. So aid must go where it should go, without regard of political considerations. Calamity assistance is humanitarian work," he said. He added that tapping the PDAF is a good a good idea as it is bigger than the calamity fund. The PDAF allocation for this year is P 6.2 billion while the Calamity Fund is only P1.9 billion, a big chunk of which had already been earmarked for "the Guimaras oil spill, Mayon volcano eruption and OFW repatriation." -GMANews.TV