Boracay hit hard
AFP

BORACAY - Boracay island, a white-sands resort and a key tourist draw, suffered huge damage from Typhoon Seniang which knocked out utilities, resorts and houses, officials said yesterday.
Two people from the island -- a boatman and a member of an anti-communist government militia force -- were killed, the island's police chief, Senior Inspector Christopher Prangan, said.
Four other crew members of boats that bring tourists to the island are still missing and feared dead, he added.
Power and water services remain knocked out a day after the typhoon swept through the central Philippine islands, including Boracay.
Water services may be restored by Tuesday but bringing back full electrical service may take a week due to the many toppled power lines, regional police chief Gerry Barias said.
He said that 67 boats, including speedboats and ferries used to transport tourists to the island, had been destroyed by the storm.
Many people in Boracay were unprepared for Seniang's fury as the region is rarely hit by typhoons.
"They didn't expect that it would be this strong compared to the experiences they had in the past 10 years," Barias added.
Boracay tourist revenues last year hit a record high of P9.18 billion brought by nearly half a million foreign and local tourists.
Officials said it was too early to say how long it would take the island to recover from the effects of the storm.