Two persons died in Iloilo due to Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai), the 15th tropical cyclone to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this year.
The fatalities were identified as Rosalyn Cabarte 54, of Barangay Sambag in Jaro district, Iloilo City and Antonio Fajurano, Jr., 58, of Barangay Malagyan in the town of Miagao, Iloilo province.
Cabarte died after their house was crashed by an uprooted bamboo plant at around 11 p.m. on Thursday, December 16.
The victim was sleeping while her common-law partner Raynaldo Gustino, 64, was sipping a cup of coffee when the bamboo fell on their house.
“Gulpi lang nagpuros ang hangin tapos natumba na ang bilog nga kawayan sa tupad balay. Naigo gid ang bilog nga balay namon,” Gustino recalled.
“Ara kami sa sulod kag indi na ko makahulag. Gintan-aw ko ang asawa ko pero wala ko man nakita kay madulom. Nabatian ko lang ang tawag na, siling niya, ‘Pa.’ Tapos amo lang na. Wala ko na sya nakita.”
According to Ryan, Caberte’s 29-year-old son, it took them about three hours to pull out her mother’s body from the wreckage.
“Indi nalang anay kami magselebrar sang paskwa subong. Maasikaso nalang kami sang iya lubong,” he said.
Cabarte was the lone fatality recorded in Iloilo City due to Typhoon Odette.
In Miagao, Fajurano, a security guard, was found dead inside the guard house of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) at around 7 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 17.
Police Captain Marvin Buenavista of the Miagao Municipal Police Station said the victim was hit by a fallen tree.IMT
