MANILA, Philippines -- Typhoon “Mina” (international codename: Mitag) on Wednesday dissipated while tropical depression “Lando” (Hagibis) moved farther away from the country, but not before spawning large waves in the western coasts of Luzon and Mindanao and leaving a death toll of 22.

Two small passenger ferries were crossing Taal Lake in Batangas south of the capital Manila when strong winds brought about by Mina triggered huge waves and overturned the boats Tuesday night, rescuers said.

Three people were confirmed drowned, while about 30 others were rescued. Six others remain missing.

The big waves that buffeted coastal villages in Pangasinan, the Zamboanga peninsula, Northern Mindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Tuesday night were spawned by storm-induced winds, not the magnitude 6 earthquake that shook Northern Luzon earlier on Tuesday, the weather bureau said.

“We should have improved weather by tomorrow and up to four days,” said senior weather specialist Robert Sawi of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

The bureau has, however, warned fishermen and sailors of big waves, particularly in the western coast of Northern Luzon because of the prevailing northeast monsoon.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) on Wednesday said 19 other people have been confirmed dead while eight others were missing because of Mina, which ripped through the country earlier this week, weakened to a tropical depression and had dissipated over the Philippine Sea.

Tropical depression

Lando, which also weakened into an active low pressure area and killed 14 people last week, went west toward Vietnam and then made a dramatic U-turn over the South China Sea before returning to the Philippines.

Weather branch chief Nathaniel Cruz of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said by Sunday, Mina and Lando would have exited and “we will have good weather conditions in most parts of the country.”

He said a low-pressure area swirling east of the country is not likely to enter the Philippines.

The NDCC said that of Mina’s fatalities -- from drowning, electrocution and landslides -- seven came from Camarines Sur, one from Camarines Norte, three from Palawan, two from Apayao, two from Kalinga, three from Cagayan and one from Isabela province.

Included among the missing were Philippine Air Force pilots, Captains Bonifacio Soriano and Gavino Mercado, who were flying a PAF S-211 trainer jet over the Kalayaan islands in Palawan when the aircraft went missing last Monday.

The NDCC said big waves threatened coastal villages in Jolo, Sulu, Pangasinan, La Union, Misamis Oriental and Zamboanga City.

In Jolo, Sulu, a 3-year-old boy was killed as strong waves hit two coastal villages on Tuesday night. The waves also destroyed at least 50 houses in the villages of Tulay and Busbus.

Yusop Isnani, village chair of Busbus, said the 3-year-old boy was killed when his house was washed away by the waves.

In Iligan City, residents fled their homes as huge waves hit and destroyed houses in coastal villages.

In Misamis Oriental, a storm surge inundated 53 villages in 16 towns on Tuesday night, forcing 1,160 families to flee their homes. No casualties were reported.

Ten-foot-high waves struck coastal villages at 7 p.m. Tuesday, leaving 800 homes damaged and destroying a 12-meter seawall in Naawan town.

Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno declared 16 towns on alert level as PAGASA warned that more big waves could be expected.

The Macalajar Bay in Misamis Oriental has been declared one of the storm surge-prone areas in Mindanao.

Surge of water

In Lingayen, Pangasinan, a surge of water from the Lingayen Gulf flooded homes in coastal areas, sending residents into a panic as tsunami rumors swept the province following an intensity 6 earthquake.

The provincial disaster coordinating council (PDCC) said 280 families were moved to evacuation centers here and in the towns of Binmaley, San Fabian, Labrador and Bolinao and Dagupan City.

Paterno Orduña, PDCC executive officer, said the water started to rise at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and subsided at about 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Orduña said what worsened the situation were text messages circulating that warned of a tsunami following the earthquake whose epicenter was 86 km west of Lingayen.

Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), explained to callers that the quake’s magnitude was not enough to trigger a tsunami and that “if ever a tsunami occurs, it does so some 30 minutes to one hour after the earthquake.”

PAGASA blamed the huge waves on the strong winds triggered by the weather disturbances and the northeast monsoon.

“The strong winds are associated with the surge of the northeast monsoon and the two storms,” Cruz said.

Vicente Malano, OIC of PAGASA’s field operations center, said the earthquake did not cause the waves which did not happen until 15 minutes after the earthquake. With reports from Gabriel Cardinoza and Yolanda Sotelo-Fuertes, Inquirer Northern Luzon and Richel Umel, Ed General, Charlie C. Señase and Ma. Cecilia Rodriguez, Inquirer Mindanao