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Sunday, August 19, 2007
Egay displaces 80T families
* Bulacan dam releases excess water
* Authorities toss responsibility for metro flooding
* Interior dep’t monitors disaster relief in rural areas
MANILA -- The number of families affected by Supertyphoon Egay has already reached at least 80,078 or 321,628 people as of Saturday as it left the Philippine area of responsibility.
National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) spokesman Anthony Golez said those affected were from the areas in National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog.
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Golez, the concurrent deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), said the displaced persons were from 263 barangays that were inundated because of heavy monsoon rains induced by Egay.
So far, he said the NDCC and its attached agencies have already extended P4.3 million in assistance to the victims.
In Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, the NDCC said at least 22 barangays were submerged in knee to waist deep floodwaters, damaging 2,321 hectares of newly-planted palay.
Flashfloods also affected at least 50 families in Alacaac, San Vicente, Mulain, Barangay 2 and Barahan villages in Sta. Cruz town in Mindoro Occidental.
In Cavite, 20 families in Panapaan IV village in Bacoor town were stranded in five-foot-high floodwaters.
An unspecified number of families were similarly affected in Calamba, Laguna.
Damage to fisheries was estimated at P162,850, including P147,850 in Ilocos Norte and P15,000 in Pangasinan.
In Pampanga, 184 families or 1,017 persons are staying in five evacuation centers.
In the Cordillera region, four minor landslides were reported in Baguio City.
Authorities appealed anew to residents near mountain slopes and shorelines to heed warnings of their local leaders to evacuate their homes if the need arises.
Golez said residents should not insist on staying in their homes if their villages are at risk.
Social Welfare secretary Esperanza Cabral was blunter saying the law allows the forced evacuation of residents in cases of landslides or flashfloods.
She said it is better to evacuate one’s home than to be killed. “Hindi pwedeng sabihing ayaw namin umalis. May batas na pwedeng pwersahin silang
ilikas kung tingin ng authorities nanganganib sila. Hindi kailangang
tumuntong doon, mas mabuting ligtas tayo kesa hindi (Residents cannot just insist on staying. The law allows their forcible removal if authorities deem them to be in danger. But this does not have to reach the confrontation stage. It is definitely better to be safe than sorry),” she said.
Meanwhile, government officials advised residents in three towns in Bulacan Saturday to brace for possible floods as Ipo Dam released some of its water after it overflowed.
Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr. said Ipo Dam in Bulacan opened its gate shortly to let out excess water following heavy rains from Egay.
On the other hand, Yumul said Angat Dam, which provides drinking water to Metro Manila and irrigation water to neighboring provinces, did not open its floodgates.
As of 4 a.m. Saturday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Egay was spotted 270 kilometers north northeast of Basco, Batanes or at southwestern Taiwan. On Sunday morning, it is forecast to be over southwestern China, the NDCC said.
Secretary Ronaldo Puno has mobilized the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to regular monitor disaster relief and assistance efforts for farmers and other residents in rural communities hit by calamities.
Authorities, on the other hand, refused to take responsibility for the massive flooding that hit Metro Manila last Wednesday as a result of heavy monsoon rains.
While the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) blamed the voluminous garbage that has clogged esteros and canals in the NCR that resulted in the flooding, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said the metro’s mayors are the culprits.
“Under the Local Government Code, local government units (LGUs) are duty-bound to promote the health and safety and preserve the comfort and convenience of their inhabitants. The code specifically vests in LGUs powers, functions, and responsibilities as are necessary, appropriate, or incidental and effective provision of basic services and facilities, such as a solid waste disposal system and infrastructure facilities for drainage, sewerage, and flood control,” Santigao said.
“The mayors are primarily responsible for proper garbage disposal and flood control in their respective LGUs,” she added. (VR/AH/CB with Press release)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (August 19, 2007 issue)
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