A strong typhoon, a powerful twister, and a strong earthquake hit the country in succession Saturday, leaving at least 11 persons dead, 60 houses damaged, cutting power, and bringing fresh floods to areas still submerged following two deadly storms that earlier hit the nation.

Typhoon “Santi” (international name: Miranae), packing strong winds with heavy rains, slammed into Metro Manila and several provinces in Luzon early Saturday.

While Santi spoiled weekend vacation plans of thousands and forced a throng of others to seek refuge in evacuation centers, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said good weather is expected throughout the Philippines this Sunday, All Saints' Day, as Santi continues to veer away from the country.

Improving weather condition was already experienced as early as Saturday afternoon as Santi was moving toward the South China Sea.

PAGASA Director Dr. Prisco Nilo said travel by land was already safe for those heading for Southern Luzon.

“Please be very cautious while traveling, ibayong pag-iingat lamang po,” Nilo said.

As of 4 p.m. Saturday, Santi was at 230 kilometers west southwest of Metro Manila. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 105 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 135 kph.

Santi was moving west at 20 kph. PAGASA said Santi would be at 670 kms west southwest of Metro Manila by Sunday afternoon.

As of 4 p.m. Saturday, only Lubang island was under public storm warning signal no. 1 characterized by 30-60 kph winds. and Central Luzon, including Metro Manila.

Meralco External Communications Manager Joe Zaldiriaga said felled and uprooted trees, toppled electric poles and wires caused the massive power failure that affected at least 1.6 million residents in many parts of Metro Manila, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, and Cavite.

Police and regional disaster officials said a total of 11 people were reported dead while seven others were reported missing in Bicol, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) areas

Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, 2nd Infantry Division spokesman, said the first fatality reported was in Pililia, Rizal when Dodoy Delabahan drowned while crossing a creek in Barangay Malaya with his one-year-old child at around 1 a.m. Saturday.

Raffy Alejandro, OCD director in Bicol, said they received two reports of fatalities in the provinces of Catanduanes and Camarines Norte at the height of typhoon Santi onslaught.

Alejandro said the first reported casualty was in Catanduanes wherein a man died of hypothermia while the six others were in Camarines Norte as reported to him by the governor of the province.

He said that two were reported dead in Daet, one in Sta. Elena, one in Jose Panganiban and two more in two other towns in Camarines Norte.

Senior Superintendent Manolito Labador, chief of the Laguna Provincial Police Office, said three people died while two others were reported missing in flashfloods in Nagcarlan and Pagsanjan towns.

Labador identified the three fatalities as eight-year old Margie Taino, 12-year-old Edcel Lovina and 79-year-old Julieta Zaguire.

Two others were reported missing, identified as Elemer Dorado and his daughter Rachel when they were likewise swept by flashflood in Pila town.

For his part, Vicente Tomazar, director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Calabarzon, said a man was reported missing when he was carried away by strong current of floodwater in Liliw, Laguna.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres Jr., spokesman of the National Disaster and Coordinating Council (NDCC), said search operations were also launched for a man in Muntinlupa City whose house was carried away by flashflood.

The man’s two other children were rescued, said Torres, along with 20 fishermen off a coast in Calaug, Quezon.

In San Juan, Metro Manila, a family was rescued and relocated from Barangay San Perfecto to the city hall because of rising floodwaters on A. Luna Street and F. Roma Street.

In Batangas City, the Calumpang Bridge collapsed and washed away by strong current of river at around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, along with a car with three persons on board.

Superintendent Manuel Abu, chief of the Batangas City Police, said they already rescued a woman who is reported to be on board the car.

“We are still conducting rescue operations on the father and his three-year-old child. The two, along with their car, are still missing,” said Abu in a phone interview.

In Laguna, Torres said a group of commuters were rescued along the Lumban and Pagsanjan Road by elements of the 1st Infantry Battalion after they were trapped when floodwaters suddenly rose.

Two cases of landslides were also reported in the towns of Liliw and Majayjay also in Laguna but Torres said they are yet to confirm the reports.

A vehicle with three people on board was crossing the bridge when the incident occurred but Torres said there were unofficial reports that they were already rescued.

Torres said that Santi made a landfall between 12 midnight and 1 a.m. Saturday in Quezon province, adding that the weather disturbance was packed with maximum sustain winds of 150 kph and gustiness of 180 kph when it crossed mainland Luzon.

Quoting reports culled from NDCC regional offices, Torres said a total of 23,101 families or 115,507 people were evacuated in 251 evacuation centers in Metro Manila and several provinces in Bicol region and in the Calabarzon area.

Massive flooding was reported in several areas in Metro Manila. In Pasay City alone, four barangays were submerged in floodwaters as high as waist-deep.

Rising floodwaters were also reported in some barangays in Navotas, San Juan, Manila, Pasig City, Quezon City, Manila, and Parañaque.

Power outages were also reported in most areas in Metro Manila as well as the entire Quezon province (except Lucena City) and Camarines Norte (except in Daet).

“Camarines Norte Electric Cooperative (Canoreco) substations were also shut down resulting in power outage in municipalities of Camarines Norte province,” said Torres.

“Communication facilities of Camarines Norte Provincial Police (CNPPO) bogged down due to strong wind while Smart and Globe have no signal in the towns of Panganiban, Camarines Norte,” he added.

Torres said the Maharlika Highway between the towns of Labo and Daet in Camarines Norte is one lane passable but said there is an ongoing clearing and removal of fallen trees caused by strong winds.

Cavite twister
In Cavite, some 60 houses were destroyed by a strong twister or whirlwind (“ipo-ipo”) in four barangays in Ternate town as Santi was lashing the province Saturday.

At least 10 people were injured and some 30 families evacuated after the twister struck Ternate's Barangays San Jose, Sapang I, Poblacion I-A, and Bucana.  Three of the injured were identified as Rowena Mendoza, 44; Mercy Dillo, and her husband Pedroso, all of Barangay San Jose.

The victims, who suffered wounds and bruises and contusions, were brought to the Maragondon Community Hospital. Police said they were hit by flying debris after the roofs of their houses were blown off by the twister.

The whirlwind also toppled some electric and telephone posts as well as trees in the neighboring barangays, police said.

Police Officer 1 Melvin Planqueza of the Ternate police station said the twister struck at 6:30 a.m. as typhoon Signal No. 3 was hoisted over the province.

Zambales quake
In Iba, Zambales, an earthquake measuring 5-magnitude on the Richter scale shook Zambales, Saturday morning.

The tremor which was tectonic in origin occurred at 8:10 a.m., according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs said the epicenter of the earthquake was located some 35 kilometers (kms) northwest of Iba, Zambales, with a shallow focal depth of 14 kms. (Aaron B. Recuenco, Anthony Giron, JC Bello Ruiz, Madelynne Dominguez, Rizal Obanil, and Franco G. Regala)