WV deaths rise to 158
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The death toll in Western Visayas rose to 158 with 43 still missing, after super typhoon Yolanda left the region with impassable roads, flooded areas, blackouts, limited communication resources, damaged infrastructure and  agriculture, among others, police records show.

The majority of the victims were in the provinces of Iloilo and Capiz, while two were in Negros Occidental..

Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, regional police director of Western Visayas, citing reports of its Regional Operations and Plans Division, said more than one million individuals were affected by the devastation, with 389 persons injured, and 10 rescued.

An escape from
the living dead
BY CARLA GOMEZ

A Silay City resident escaped devastated Tacloban City on a C-130 plane to Mactan Monday afternoon by pretending to be the son of a retired Philippine Air Force official.

RoyAronCatugas, 25, a medical representative of Merck, Sharp and Dohme based in Tacloban City, said that, following the devastation left by super typhoon Yolanda it was a battle to survive for everyone with no immediate aid in sight.

He was at his boarding house in Barangay 92 Apitong when Yolanda hit Tacloban early Friday morning. Very strong howling wind ripped off parts of the roof of the boarding house and soon water began to drip from the ceiling, Catugas said.

Official hits bloated
destruction figures
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, Liane Garcia, yesterday said they have discovered that figures of the number of houses destroyed and damaged by super typhoon Yolanda in Negros Occidental from some barangays have been bloated.

This was after the announcement that the provincial government is releasing financial assistance to all those whose houses were destroyed, and that town and city governments would release counterpart assistance for those whose houses were damaged.

Garcia said the bloating of figures will delay the release of assistance to those affected as they will have to validate the reports submitted first.