TYPHOON AFTERMATH | Philippines says typhoon Ulysses death toll rises to 26

November 13, 2020 , 10:43 AM

(November 13, 2020) – The Philippines began massive mopping up operations after typhoon Ulysses left a trail of death and destruction on the main island of Luzon, disaster officials said on Friday.

At least 26 people died due to drowning, landslides and pinned by falling trees or a collapsed concrete wall, in various parts of the island impacted by the typhoon, internationally known as Vamco, according to a report from Philippine National Police (PNP).

Fourteen people are still unaccounted for and 21 others were injured as ferocious winds brought by Ulysses blew off roofs, uprooted trees and toppled electric posts while torrential rains inundated wide areas in three regions.

Based on police reports, nine people died in the southern Tagalog region, including three in Cavite and one in Rodriguez, Rizal.

Seven fatalities were also reported in the rice-growing Cagayan Valley. Two more died in the towns of Atok and Buguias in Benguet in the Cordillera Region due to landslides.

In the coconut-growing Bicol region, three people drowned in Camarines Sur after they were swept by a flash flood in the town of Milaor. Three more fatalities were recorded in Central Luzon.

The Metro Manila police recorded two deaths but the mayor of Marikina City, which remained submerged on Friday, claimed three residents died in an area which was also severely devastated by Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009.

Marcy Teodoro has declared a state of calamity in the city due to flooding.

The Marikina River, which swelled up to 21.9 meters on Thursday, has gone down to 18.4 meters.

The rising waters caused one barge, used as a mobile bridge to cross the river, was carried by the current and hit the Marcos bridge, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

A total of 724 areas in eight regions have been inundated with the rice-growing region of Central Luzon submerged in two meters deep of flood water.

A total of 107,535 individuals were rescued from atop the roofs of their homes in at least 2,174 operations.

Almost 400,000 individuals or 98,000 families have also sought shelter in evacuation centers in eight regions in Luzon.

Almost 1,900 people were stranded in various ports on Luzon. More than 1,550 areas reported no electricity, while 159 areas have no cellular signal. A total of 184 roads were considered not passable due to floods and landslides.

The disaster agency insisted that local government units were given enough warning to evacuate, but said flooding was to be expected after cyclones Ofel, Pepito, Rolly, Siony, Tonyo, and Ulysses hit Luzon in the past two months.

“Yung landmass fully saturated na. Wala nang pupuntahan yung tubig sa ilalim except magbaha,” said disaster spokesperson Mark Timbal.

Typhoon Ulysses, the 21st cyclone to enter the country’s area of responsibility and the eighth in just two months, has weakened into a severe tropical storm as it moves further away from land.

All tropical cyclone wind signals have been lifted, and the weather bureau expects Ulysses to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Friday morning.

(Reports from Pat Mangune, Jenny Dongon, Maeanne Los Baños | Katrina Elaine Alba/MM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.