The municipality of E.B. Magalona declared a state of calamity, following recent flashfloods that hit eight cities and towns of northern Negros Occidental.
Mayor Marvin Malacon on Thursday said that the declaration of state of calamity was made on Monday by the Municipal Risk Reduction and Management Council on Jan. 12, which was also adopted by the Sangguniang Bayan the next day during its regular session.
E.B. Magalona joined cities of Silay, Talisay and Victorias on the list of areas placed under a state of calamity due to floods that damaged crops and fisheries, with a damage of almost P50 million, excluding those destroyed several infrastructure projects .
Malacon reported that 13 of the 23 E.B. Magalona barangays were hit by the flash floods on Jan. 9, affecting 3,339 families, composed of 16,690 families and damage to crops, fisheries and infrastructure projects of P9 million.
EB Magalona, cities of Silay, Talisay and Victorias were hit twice by flash floods since Jan. 1, which was followed on Jan. 9.
Malacon attributed the flash floods to heavily silted river mouths of Malogo,Imbang and Tabigue and other town water ways.
He also noted that the waterways in the town are even much lower to the residential areas, and the original drainage system in rural areas have already been planted with sugarcanes by some landowners.
Because of this development, Malacon said that he will ask the E.B. Magalona Sangguniang Bayan for the passage of an ordinance, for the restoration of the original drainage system, and to request the Department of Public Works and Highways to repair the drainage system along the highway.
As to claims that quarrying may also be blamed for the flash floods, Malacon said that the quarrying of sand and gravel has long been there, with the volume of water from the mountain passing through rivers overflowed, because of the shallow waterways and siltation.
The volume of water and the high tide cannot be accommodated by the drainage system, which lies the problem, he added.
Malacon thanked Rep. Benitez, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Board Members Andrew Montelibano and Manuel Frederick Ko, Mayors Gerry Rojas and Marxlen dela Cruz and the private sector, for augmenting relief goods distributed by the municipal government to the E.B. Magalona affected families.
He also reported that a third tranche of relief goods will soon be distributed to the affected families, which are now being prepared by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.