DOTr's Bautista says no major damage in airports following Kristine onslaught

Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said Monday that there were no major damage in the country's airports following the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine.

At a Palace press briefing, Bautista said all airports remain operational. He, however, mentioned that few flights were canceled due to the bad weather.

''Right now, all airports are operational. Wala namang mga major damage na nangyari doon sa mga airports natin (There's no major damage in our airports). And, so far, lahat ito ay operational. There were a few flights that were cancelled from October 21 until the other day,'' Bautista said.

''Although all affected passengers were assisted by the airport authorities and the airlines themselves. So, so far, hindi tayo nagkaroon ng major problem sa mga airport natin (we didn't encounter any major problem in our airports_ during the onslaught of typhoon Kristine,'' he added.

Bautista said all seaports have already been opened, however, he said the estimated damage was worth P100 to P110 million.

Many passengers were also affected in Sorsogon, according to Bautista.

''Hanggang ngayon medyo mahaba pa rin iyong pila ng mga sasakay doon sa RoRo from Matnog to Allen. But, we are working closely with all the authorities, so that mapadali iyong pagbiyahe nung mga sasakyan,'' Bautista said.

(Until now, the lane going from Matnog to Allen is still long. But, we are working closely with all the authorities so that the travel would be easier.)

The number of individuals who reportedly died amid the devastation of Kristine has increased to over a hundred, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has said.

The NDRRMC’s latest situational report as of 8 a.m. Monday showed that of the 116 reported fatalities, 10 were already validated and the rest were still subject to validation.

The agency also said Kristine had affected 6.7 million people or 1.6 million families in 10,147 barangays nationwide. Of them, 980,355 individuals were displaced and had to stay in 6,286 evacuation centers. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News