Four personnel deployed by the Department of Public Works and Highways died in a landslide in Nueva Vizcaya-Ifugao-Mountain Province Road during the onslaught of typhoon Ulysses.
Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said two engineers, a laborer and a driver who were part of DPWH0 Ifugao’s quick response team were sheltering in a house during heavy rain when the landslide swept away the house.
Villar added a fifth member of the team was unharmed in the landslide.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to our personnel who bravely served our country and paid the ultimate price. We will extend all efforts to look for the missing and support the families of the victims,” he said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday the death toll from the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses has risen to 67.
NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal told reporters that 22 of the 67 deaths were from the Cagayan Valley Region, two from Central Luzon, 17 from Calabarzon, eight from Bicol Region, 10 from Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and eight from the National Capital Region (NCR).
Meanwhile, 12 people have been reported missing, eight of which are from the Bicol Region, three from NCR, and one from Calabarzon, Timbal.
The official added 21 individuals were injured during the onslaught of Ulysses as of their latest count: nine from Calabarzon, eight from Bicol Region, three from Central Luzon, and one from CAR.
4 DPWH personnel killed in Ifugao landslide
Meanwhile, Cagayan province remained submerged after it experienced the “worst flooding that we had in the last 45 years,” as per Governor Manuel Mamba.
“We see that it is worsening every year,” he added during a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte.
Mamba also lamented the illegal logging problem in Cagayan, prompting Duterte to investigate the matter.
“We always talk about illegal logging and mining, but nothing has been done about it,” Duterte said.
“Rest assured that we are working hard to rebuild your lives after these calamities. We know your anguish, and we will respond with urgency. With the bayanihan spirit of the Filipino, I am confident that together we will brave all the challenges ahead and emerge stronger as a [people],” he added.