99 dead in Bohol due to Typhoon Odette —governor

Ninety-nine people were killed due to the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in Bohol, one of the provinces hit hardest by the cyclone, Governor Arthur Yap said Wednesday.

In a television interview, Yap said "less than 20" individuals were missing and hundreds of others were injured in the province due to Odette as of Tuesday.

“Ninety-nine ang napatay. Ang missing less than 20. Ang mga injured nasa hundreds [Ninety-nine were killed. Less than 20 were missing. Hundreds were injured],” he told ANC.

Yap lamented that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has so far only distributed around 6,000 food packs in the province.

Asked if he was disappointed over the supposed lack of urgency among national agencies in responding to Odette’s victims, Yap said, “Let’s just let the facts speak for themselves. We’re at Day 6.”

Yap said the province already used its last 30 million food packs and they are consolidating 55,000 more, but he added that until now he is still waiting for the DSWD.

"We will be working through Christmas and New Year just to distribute food packs. Hinihintay ko pa rin yung DSWD [I am still waiting for DSWD]," he said.

Yap said the DSWD committed to deliver 17,500 food packs this week, but he pointed out that the department promised to provide 35,000 a few days ago.

Due to this, he suggested that the funds from the DSWD should be transferred to the provincial government to speed up the distribution of relief items.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao assured Yap that relief operations in typhoon-affected areas, including Bohol, are "continuous."

"We understand the sentiments but we also have to understand that there are also no supermarkets where they can buy goods since these were also destroyed by the typhoon," Dumlao said.

"Rest assured that relief operations, especially provision of food and water, is continuous." 

Generators

Yap, meanwhile, requested for more generators especially for water refilling stations as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and other power distribution utilities said that power would be back in a month.

The governor also called on oil companies to triple their delivery of fuel in the area, saying that buyers spend up to three hours in line just to get fuel.

To avoid “untoward incidents” in “chaotic lines” of residents buying commodities, Yap requested the deployment of more law enforcers from the police and the military to maintain peace and order. —KBK, GMA News