Opong wreaks havoc in Masbate 

The province of Masbate experienced the fury of Severe Tropical Storm Opong after it made landfall early Friday. 

According to JP Soriano’s report in “24 Oras,” it was still dawn but the residents of Masbate City were awakened by strong wind and downpour. But the wind and the rainfall got stronger at around 3 a.m, just hours before Opong made landfall over Palanas at 4 a.m. and in Milagros at 5 a.m. 

Masbate City folk were welcomed at sunrise with toppled trees and electricity posts on the road. There were also roofs from various establishments that were blown away. 

The power supply in the city was disrupted, but telecommunications are still normally working, the report said. 

Meanwhile, the Parish of Immaculate Concepcion in Batuan was not spared from the storm as its ceiling collapsed, injuring the evacuees seeking shelter in the church. Authorities are still finding out the exact number of wounded individuals from the incident. 

In Dimasalang, around 100 families were evacuated, mostly coming from Barangay Suba. 

Data from the PDRRMO and CDRRMO-Masbate said there were three deaths and over 10 individuals were wounded in the province of Masbate due to Opong. 

Meanwhile, the Masbate PDRRMO said that over 8,000 families or 26,000 individuals were affected and still residing in evacuation centers. 

Albay 

On the other hand, Opong’s presence was also felt in Albay with strong winds and waves  observed in the town of Pio Duran. 

The inclement weather left over 150 vehicles stranded in ports as roll on-roll off ships are still prohibited from traveling. 

Some stranded drivers have no choice but to wait in the port as they feast on paksiw na tulingan for lunch. But they had to save every bit of the dish as the resumption of their trips remained uncertain. 

“Kapag hindi namin tipirin, sir, saan kami kukuha ng allowance? Limang araw na kami rito,“ said Edgardo Agustin, a driver of a ten-wheeler truck. 

(If we will not save it, sir, where will we get our allowance? We’ve been here for five days already.) 

Meanwhile, some are worried about their income if they cannot travel as soon as possible. 

“Kapag hindi kami bumiyahe, wala, gutom yung pamilya namin,” said truck driver Lino.

(If we cannot proceed soon with our trip, our families will be hungry.)  

As Opong moves away, the local government of Albay allowed evacuees to return to their homes. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News