December 28, 2021
MANILA, Philippines — A total of 24 airports in the country sustained minor, major, and critical damage due to Typhoon Odette, which pummeled several provinces of the Visayas and the northern portions of Mindanao and Palawan, Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said Monday night.
In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte, Tugade assured that all airports would be commercially operational.
He said Siargao airport was the only one to sustain critical damage due to the typhoon.
The airport is currently partially operational but is not yet accommodating commercial flights. It will do so starting Tuesday, Dec. 28.
“By tomorrow, even though the airport was critically damaged, it will be commercially operational,” Tugade said, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English.
Meanwhile, the airports in the following places sustained major damage:
San Vicente
Dumaguete
Camiguin
Siquijor
Antique
Maasin
Surigao
Mactan-Cebu
Tugade said those airports were already fully operational as of Dec. 24 and have been servicing emergency, military, and commercial flights.
The 15 airports in the following areas sustained minor damage due to Odette, but these remained operational:
Busuanga
Puerto Princesa
Bicol
Caticlan
Kalibo
Roxas
Bohol-Panglao
Tacloban
Ormoc
Laguindingan
Cotabato
Davao
General Santos
Butuan
Iloilo
From Dec. 16 to 18, Typhoon Odette ravaged several provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao and Palawan.
As of Saturday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said that 367 were reported dead due to Typhoon Odette and 51 remained missing.