Meanwhile, NDCC authorities said that power supply has been restored to areas in Malabon, Quezon, Caloocan, Mandaluyong and Marikina even as the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and National Power Corporation (Napocor) continue to work overtime to fully restore electricity in the National Capital Region to comply with a directive from President Arroyo to restore electricity within 24 to 48 hours.

In his report to President Arroyo, Defense Secretary Avelino "Nonong" Cruz, also NDCC chairman, said that the typhoon battered seven regions, 17 provinces, 14 cities and 1,374 barangays.

The fatalities now total 76 persons, with 81 others injured and 69 persons missing.

Fifty-three persons were reported injured in Calabarzon region (most of them in Cavite province), two in Bicol and 26 in Metro Manila.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) officer in charge Dr. Anthony Golez said that the search continues for 61 persons in Calabarzon region, two in Western Visayas and six in the NCR.

The total number of families displaced by the typhoon has reached 184,736 families, or 909,108 persons, the NDCC said.

OCD authorities dispatched three dump trucks and two lifters in Cavite to be used by search and rescue teams looking for more possible survivors from the huge pile of debris of destroyed houses in severely affected barangays in the province.

Cruz said the NDCC is giving priority to assisting those affected by the typhoon, restoration of power and communication facilities and fast-tracking the clearing of debris.

As of noon time yesterday, the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) in Central Luzon said that power supply in Pampanga and Tarlac provinces has been fully restored.

Government rehabilitation teams implemented a quick repair on three fallen electric posts in Arayat and Macabebe both in Pampanga that damaged residential house around them.

Sixteen other electric posts of Transco and Napocor in Hermosa, Bataan were reportedly damaged and are now being serviced by repair teams.

OCD said repair works for the Banadero Bridge in Calamba, Laguna and first approach of the Padang Section Road in Legaspi City, which were both washed out by floodwaters, are being rushed by government and military engineers.

The Naga Spillway in Albay province was also totally washed out by floodwaters posing danger to residents living in low-lying places in the area, OCD reports added.

Field reports also indicated that the southern portion of Zambales and Aurora province are still experiencing total black out.

The NDCC has dispatched a 75-KVA power generator set to Calabarzon to provide temporary electricity supply to disaster response centers in severely affected areas in Cavite province.

General Trias, Calamba City suffer fatalities

By ROY SINFUEGO

GENERAL TRIAS, Cavite City – Eight people died while 21 others remain missing after the Prinsa river overflowed during the height of Typhoon Milenyo and washed away several houses in Sunny Brooks subdivision in this town, Mayor Luis Ferrer IV said.

Three survivors were also rescued by civilian volunteers.

The Department of Public Works and Highways said the Prinsa river overflowed after the Spanish era Prinsa dam made of stone and adobe gave way under raging floodwaters.

DPWH Region IV-A (Southern Tagalog) Director Bonner Seguit inspected the Prinsa dam yesterday to survey the extent of the damage.

Director Seguit told Mayor Ferrer yesterday he will dispatch emergency crews and heavy equipment at the earliest possible time to help with the recovery and rehabilitation operations.

In the Southern Tagalog region, the Banadero, Looc, and San Juan bridges in Calamba city were washed away by raging floodwaters.

Also in Calamba City, the five-year-old San Cristobal bridge suffered damage and would need a R15 million repair.

Siguit said another flood would further weaken the bridge approach at the Calamba side.

Siguit also recommended the immediate evacuation of several houses along the river banks that where seriously damaged and already eroded by flood waters.

The Looc bridge, completed only last January in Calamba city, collapsed at the height of typhoon "Milenyo" last Thursday.

Four persons died in Calamba City, including Joseph Reglos, an employee of the mayor’s office, who drowned after he was caught riding a motorcycle on the Bañadero bridge when it collapsed.

Calamba Mayor Joaquin Chipeco Jr. declared Calamba City under a state of calamity and ordered the local Calamba DSWD under Leonardo Opulencia to provide rice, canned goods, noodles and other food items, as well as medicines, to about 5,778 families from 19 barangays now in evacuation centers set up in public schools.

The 2nd Infantry Division and the Rescue Command of the Philippine Army provided rubber boats in the flooded areas.

It was also reported that 22 employees were hurt when the Samsung building at the Premier Industrial Park in Barangay Batino collapsed during the typhoon. (with reports from Momoy Cardenas)

President monitoring rehabilitation works

By DAVID CAGAHASTIAN

Malacañang yesterday assured the rehabilitation of areas affected by typhoon "Milenyo" last week, as President Arroyo personally monitored efforts to repair damaged infrastructure and to restore electricity to residents in affected areas of Metro Manila, Southern Luzon and Bicol.

In a meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) in Malacañang, Mrs. Arroyo said government agencies and private companies involved in rehabilitation efforts in the wake of typhoon Milenyo should fully restore power supply to Metro Manila and other typhoon-affected provinces within the next 24 to 48 hours.

"We have to effect rapid normalization in Metro Manila and other areas. Rapid normalization, that is our primary goal now," Mrs. Arroyo said during the meeting.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita reported that Manila Electric Company (Meralco) President Jesus Francisco said power would be restored to all parts of Metro Manila by midnight of Sunday.

Ermita said electricity has been fully restored in the areas north of Metro Manila, from Malabon City to Bulacan, while 60 percent of the power supply was back between Alabang and Metro Manila.

Only 47 percent of the power supply in areas from Alabang to Cavite and Batangas in Southern Luzon, however, has been restored as of yesterday morning.

"The effort is to have Metro Manila energized within today (Saturday)," Ermita said.

Ermita said Mrs. Arroyo directed the resumption of operations of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) to ensure the smooth flow of traffic in the metropolis. Both light rail systems were reported to have resumed operations as of yesterday afternoon.

Mrs. Arroyo also directed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to use chainsaws confiscated from illegal loggers in the ongoing clearing operations of trees knocked down by the typhoon’s strong winds.

The Department of Energy (DoE) has been instructed to issue regular bulletins on the progress of the ongoing efforts to restore power to Metro Manila and other neighboring provinces.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo is concerned over the impact of power outages in Luzon to households, education and health facilities and commerce.

"She is aware of the safety issues involved and she wants the government and private teams to clean up the debris, put up the downed posts, restore the lines and get the power going soonest," Bunye said in a statement.

Mrs. Arroyo earlier asked Meralco to restore power to some 80 percent of consumers in Metro Manila by Friday evening, though power was reportedly restored to only 35 percent of consumers in Metro Manila.

Bunye said that Mrs. Arroyo is closely monitoring efforts to provide relief to the thousands affected by the typhoon and restore electricity to households across Luzon.

"All parties concerned are working round the clock in typhoon-battered areas to ensure not just the quick restoration of power but also to help affected communities return to normalcy," Bunye said.

After an NDCC meeting in Malacañang yesterday morning, Mrs. Arroyo went to Sorsogon for another meeting of the NDCC which focused on relief and rehabilitation efforts in the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon in the Bicol Region which were reported as the two worst affected provinces.

Mrs. Arroyo said during the NDCC meeting in Sorsogon that alternative or "interim sources of livelihood" should be provided to residents in the Bicol region while the national government tries to repair the millions of pesos worth of damage to agricultural lands.

Bunye said the government is prepared to provide funds for efforts to rehabilitate the areas destroyed by typhoon Milenyo, but the first priority of the government is to provide relief to the thousands displaced from their homes.

"The government’s focus is to provide relief to the victims, to check prices of basic commodities and rehabilitate damaged farms where the impact on livelihood is the worst," Bunye said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported that it has distributed some R2 million worth of relief goods, 50 percent of which was distributed to affected residents in Metro Manila.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), meanwhile, assured the availability of funds for relief and rehabilitation opearations, even as it released an initial R240 million to replenish the calamity fund to be used for such operations.

Muslims’ Ramadan hard hit by typhoon havoc

By EDD K. USMAN

Muslims in Metro Manila are among the hardest affected by the lack of electric power and water, which they doubly need for the Ramadan month of fasting.

In Maharlika Village, Taguig City, barangay chairperson Norma Pangandaman appealed to Mayor Sigfrido Tinga to help his Muslim constituents, who need water for ablution (prayer washing) for the performance of Ramadan worship, including fasting.

"Through the Manila Bulletin, please help us call the attention of Mayor Tinga. His constituents in Maharlika Village are in desperate need of assistance," she said.

"In behalf of our residents, I am appealing to the good Mayor Freddie Tinga to use the city’s firetrucks to ration water to Maharlika Village for their Ramadan obligations," said Pangandaman.

She said sacrifice is part of Ramadan’s spirit, but at least there must be clean water for cooking and ablution.

Pangandaman thanked Manila Water for sending two water trucks on Saturday, but with thousands of residents, "we still need Mayor Tinga to help his Muslim constituents."

She added that there are also 50 displaced families now staying at the Maharlika Village elementary school who also need assistance.

As this developed, Amina Rasul, lead convenor of Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), said she understands the added sacrifice brought by Milenyo to Muslims in Metro Manila.

"We are used to worse conditions. In Muslim Mindanao, this (abnormal situation) is our normal situation," Rasul said.

"They should use this temporary hardship to remind them of the millions of Moros who suffer. And pray for an end to the suffering," Rasul said.

Life slowly getting back to normal after the typhoon

By JOEL C. ATENCIO

Everything is slowly going back to normal two days after Typhoon Milenyo battered Metro Manila and nearby provinces, reports reaching the Manila Police District (MPD) Headquarters said early yesterday.

Street sweepers from the Manila City Hall were seen helping out in clearing operations in the streets of the Manila as early as 3:30 a.m. of Friday. They were putting away cut fallen trees and leaves from the main roads and sidewalks so that traffic flow will be smooth.

A portion of Rizal Park, however, is still without lights until before dawn of Friday making it hard for some strollers and joggers to move around. Power and telephone lines were also going back to normal operation.

But many people were still groping in the dark after winds and rains dumped by Typhoon Milenyo knocked down power lines in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon last Thursday.

"It’s still dark here in Tanza, Cavite. In the next town, General Trias, Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) volunteer rescuers are helping out the local government in rescuing and retrieving people who were victims of a landslide," said Fredda Rosete over the telephone.

Last Thursday night and until early Friday, many fallen trees and tree branches were seen by Manila Bulletin blocking major thoroughfares of Metro Manila including España Street near Blumentritt Road as well the facade of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) campus in Sampaloc, Manila; Taft Avenue in front of Manila City Hall near Intramuros, Manila; and Quezon Avenue in Quezon City.

A security guard outpost of a commercial establishment also fell on its side along West Avenue near Philam Homes, Diliman, Quezon City because of the strong wounds.

Until yesterday, some parts of Metro Manila, inluding Las Piñas City, were without electricity because the National Power Corporation (NPC) said some of the power lines were knocked down by the typhoon. Some big commercial establishments, night spots, and shopping malls were business as usual because of their power generators.

In Malate, Manila, only a few nightspot, bar and restaurants were open the whole night until before dawn yesterday. Popular hangout Tia Maria Mexican Restaurant, which had a standby generator, even had live bands until 3 a.m.