More dead bodies recovered in Misamis Occ shores

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, Jan. 13 (PIA) -- At least six (6) more dead human bodies in advanced stages of decomposition were recovered from the shores of Misamis Occidental while nine (9) others in the same condition were recovered from the shores of Zamboanga del Norte, days after the onslaught of Typhoon Sendong. This brings up to 1,388 the number of accounted dead bodies who were believed victims of ‘Sendong,’ of which only 837 were identified, as of yesterday, Jan. 12, Regional Director Ana Caňeda of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), region 10, said. Data gathered by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), region 10, also show that 737 of the dead bodies were from Cagayan de Oro City, 693 were from Iligan City and 45 were from Bukidnon. Caňeda, who is the Chairperson of RDRRMC-10, said their data also show that 5,889 were injured during the onslaught of TS Sendong, but only 138 of them were identified. Meanwhile,...

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Mom still hopeful of finding 3 kids lost in flood after almost a month

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Lucina Waluhan’s only wish when she celebrated her 32nd birthday on Thursday was to see her three children again. Nearly a month since up to 30 feet of rampaging water inundated the city on Dec. 17, Lucina said she had not lost hope of seeing them one day. Mary, 6; Ian, 4; and Joshua, 2 years old, were among hundreds of people still missing from the devastating flood that had killed some 700 people. When the flood struck, Lucina said her husband, Felix, had wrapped Mary Joy with a jacket and tied her on his back. She said she took their two other children with her as they drifted down the river. “I lost them (Ian and Joshua) under the bridge,” she recounted. Lucina was later rescued in Camiguin Island while Felix was swept and rescued in Iligan City. As tears rolled down her cheek, Lucina said it was important for her to see her children again, even if they died in the flood. “I wanted to see them even if they...

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Pilot farewelled as identification process continues

Hot balloon pilot Lance Hopping packed a lot into his 53 years, including meeting his father late in life. Mr Hopping, who was at the helm of the balloon that crashed near Carterton on Saturday, killing all 11 on board, was reunited 17 years ago with his terminally ill father Martin, who travelled from Australia in search of his long-lost son. "They made up for the years apart and spent as much time together as they could," Mr Hopping's three sisters said in a statement issued by police last night. Sadly, Mr Hopping did not get a chance to meet his sixth grandchild, who was born two weeks ago in Sydney. "Lance was a great brother, he had a great loving relationship with his family and friends and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for anyone," his sisters said. "He loved his Harley, he loved his helicopters and balloons and he loved to drive his car fast, but his greatest love was his family." Mr Hopping, affectionately known as...

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