CALBAYOG CITY- A week after the devastation caused by of tropical depression “Usman” this city, affected residents are starting to rebuild what they had lost during the disaster.
Letecia Garalza, a teacher in Barangay Cag-anahaw, a remote village in the city, blames the rampant illegal logging in their village as the cause of the floods that they have experienced.
“Illegal logging in Cag-anahaw is rampant, I don’t know what the government is doing about that,” Garalza said in an interview.
She further added that there were people coming from government offices who visit their village and just took photos of the logs that were illegally cut.
“Employees from certain government agency came to Cag-anahaw and took photos on the logs that were illegally cut but we don’t know what happened after that as illegal activity still continues,” Garalza added.
Cag-anahaw can be reached through a 3-hour walk from Tarabucan, a village which is almost an hour travel from the city proper.
Garalza shared that they did not expect that the flood spawned by Usman would reach up to the ceiling of their houses.
“This is the first time that it happened in our village. We really did not expect this,” she added.
Garalza said that a landslide occurred during the heavy downpour that resulted to flashfloods.
At least 87 houses of almost one hundred houses in the village were washed out by the flood.
“We just built temporary houses as our shield at this time. We cannot even hold classes as our classrooms were being used by the evacuees,” Garalza said.
As of now, relief operations coming from the city government and even from private donors already reached the village.
Still, the residents of the village are still appealing for more help.
“We are asking for help to rebuild our houses. What we need right now are materials for the construction of our houses,” Garalza said.
For Garalza, the past year was something that she could not forget but she remains hopeful that the New Year will bring some good things to their village.
“We welcomed 2019 crying for what happened to us but we are positive for the good things to come this year,” Garalza said.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported that at least five persons from the village died while the one fatality is from Brgy. Cabatuan.
Three are still missing, all are residents of Cag-anahaw. (JENNIFER D.SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO)
Residents blame illegal logging as reason why their village was hit by a deadly flooding
New Year’s Eve celebration in EV ‘very peaceful,’ says police
TACLOBAN CITY-Police authorities here in the region declared the New Year’s Eve celebration as ‘very peaceful.’
In his report, Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, police regional director, said that there was no stray bullet incident and injuries due to firecracker blasting were comparatively lower than last year.
“Overall, the festivity was a complete success with the help of other concerned agencies…and the all-out support of the public,” Carlos said in a statement.
“Our enhanced security before and after Yuletide season have attributed a lot in the peaceful and orderly celebration of the New Year’s Eve,” the police regional director added.
For his part, Senior Inspector Ian Po, information officer of the Tacloban City Police Office (TCPO), said that they have not received or monitored any untoward incident across the city during the New Year’s celebration.
He said that there was no report of incident involving firecracker incident, much more, firing of gun as Tacloban joined the world in welcoming the New Year.
“We have a generally peaceful New Year’s celebration. To me, it’s really a benchmark as compared to previous celebrations,” Po said.
He said that hours before the New Year’s celebration, policemen roamed around the city informing the residents not to use firecrackers during the revelries.
“So we are thankful for the cooperation of our people why we have achieved a very peaceful New Year’s celebration,” he said.
At the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), based this city, no firecracker-related injury was reported on New Year’s Eve.
However, hours before the New Year’s celebration, about two patients were treated due to minor firecracker injuries.
The regional office of the Department of Health reported that 39 cases due to firecracker injuries were reported- 17 in Leyte; 13 in Eastern Samar; 4 each in Samar and Northern Samar; 1 in Southern Leyte; zero in Biliran province or a total of 28 cases, 11 percent lower compared to last year’s New Year celebration.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T.AMAZONA)
BFAR: Whale washed ashore due to ‘Usman’ dies
TACLOBAN CITY- A melon-headed whale (Peponecephala electra) died two days after it was washed ashore at the Cancabato Bay, this city.
The regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), in a statement posted on its Facebook account, said that the whale was sighted near Alimasag Fisherman area in Cancabato Bay on Dec.28 after it was washed ashore due to the rough sea condition spawned by tropical depression ‘Usman.’
The 2.5-meter-long adult marine mammal was brought to the Fishery Law Enforcement Team (FLET) of the Tacloban city government the following day (Dec.29) and was reported to BFAR Fisheries Protection and Law Enforcement Group (FPLEG).
The whale was discovered to be emaciated, has superficial skin scratches and cookie-cutter shark bites.
Still, the whale was brought back and released to the Cancabato Bay at 10 am on that day (Dec.29) as its respiration appeared to be normal and the weather has improved.
However, it re-stranded at around 11:30 a.m. near the shoreline of Leyte Park Hotel and at the old Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center, both here in the city.
The FPLEG team then responded and brought it to BFAR Coastal Resource Management Center in Barangay Diit, also this city, for temporary care.
However, the shark refused to eat and at around 10:30 pm, it was observed that the shark was having a rapid breathing until it died at around 12:30 am on December 30, 2018, BFAR reported.
The whale’s carcass was buried at the dumping site of the city in Barangay Santo Niño in the afternoon of that day.
Based on the necropsy report, starvation and parasitism were the possible cause of death of the melon-headed whale.
The IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature), an international organization that works for nature’s conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, the melon-headed whale is not included on its list of threatened or endangered species.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
Northern Samar under state of calamity due to ‘Usman’
(Photo Courtesy: Northern Samar Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council)
CATARMAN, Northern Samar – This province is now under a state of calamity due to the massive damages left behind by tropical depression ‘Usman’ that also saw eight people killed and one still missing.
During their special session on Thursday(Jan.3), the provincial board, presided by Vice Gov. Gary Lavin, passed Resolution Number 2019-1 placing the entire province under a state of calamity.
The declaration was based on the “widespread damage across the province” from the incessant rains brought by Usman which triggered floodings and landslides never been experienced in the province for the past 30 years.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) officer Rei Josiah Echano reported that 256 (50%) of the province’ 569 barangays were badly affected by the calamity.
Eighteen of the 24 towns experienced massive flooding and landslide incidents that rendered many areas impassable and isolated.
The town of Lope de Vega sustained the biggest damage as its entire 22 barangays suffered flooding reaching up to 2-storey houses and landslides that rendered the town isolated from the rest of the province.
Five people were killed in the town.
The PDRRMC recorded 48,900 families numbering to 224,389 individuals were displaced and evacuated after their respective areas were hit by flooding and landslide incidents.
About eight people were killed and one missing due to flooding and landslide, Echano said.
At least 850 houses were destroyed while 17,846 were damaged due to Usman’s onslaught.
Estimated cost of damage to infrastructure amounted to P147.53 million while its agriculture and fishery sector recorded losses in the amount of P106.95 million.
Lavin said that some barangays remain isolated to include the far-flung barangays of Trangue, Mabini and Quezon, all in Catarman; Buenasuerte and Maxvilla in Victoria, and barangay Catalina in Mondragon.
Governor Jose Ong Jr. on Wednesday (Jan.2) sent an urgent letter to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan requesting for the declaration of state of calamity in the entire province of Northern Samar.
“One of the purpose of placing the province in a state of calamity is for us to access the 30% quick response fund. That’s why we need to know the needs analysis; what more assistance are needed in agriculture, in the relief operations etcetera. We are an agricultural province and for sure we have extensive damage to agriculture but these are not reported,” Lavin said during the plenary.
He said the Municipal Agriculture Officers (MAO’s) are lax on damage reporting.
The provincial government has remaining P20 million calamity funds which can be used in post disaster assistance to the most affected local government units.
“But we need that damage needs analysis report so we can maximize the utilization of our calamity funds,” Lavin said.
By: RACHEL V. ARNAIZ with ROEL T. AMAZONA
Catbalogan City’s acting mayor, vice mayor assumes posts
TACLOBAN CITY-The acting mayor and vice mayor of Catbalogan City formally took over the reign of the city government, more than two months after its mayor, vice mayor and other officials were slapped with a six-month preventive suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Councilors Archie Fuentes and Kendall Luke Perez were sworn into office as acting mayor and acting vice mayor of the city on Thursday (Jan.3) before Judge Sibanah Usman, presiding judge of Regional Trial Court-Branch 29.
To recall, the anti-graft court issued the preventive suspension order without pay to Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan and Vice Mayor Art Sherwin Gabon due to alleged overpriced land purchase and anomalous market lease deal.
Also suspended by the Ombudsman on its November 26 order were seven of the city’s councilors, Coefredo Uy, father of the Stephany Uy-Tan; Jeffrey Uy; Maximo Pascual; Edward Uy; Christine Joy Escobar; Beethoven Bermejo; and Nanette Jasmin.
Included suspended were city accountant Peachy Daguman; city treasurer Elizabeth Lim; city budget officer Ma. Theresa Lim; and city assessor Romero Tuazon.
All were slapped for grave abuse of authority; grave misconduct; gross neglect of duty and violation of code of conduct and ethical standards for public officials relative to the alleged overpriced land purchase and anomalous market lease deal in October, 2015.
The investigation pertained to complaints filed separately by legislative staff officer Bernard Jake Ramos and the Catbalogan Public Market Vendors.
Ramos’ complaint involved the city’s October 2015 purchase of 8.0194-hectare agricultural lands owned by Alvin Cesar Laohoo and Lorenzo Laohoo Jr. for P120.225 million, 773 times the market value of P155,497.84.
The five parcels were “hastily” reclassified as residential, industrial, institutional and commercial land in June 2016. This hiked the total market value 444 times to P69.15 million.
The second complaint filed against the suspended officials involved the proposed lease of the city’s public market to the Philippine Primark Properties Inc.(PPPI) filed by the city’s market vendors association.
The PPPI has planned to develop the 10,000 square meter property.
Tan secured the authorization of the city council to enter a lease agreement with PPPI but the latter said to occupy the property immediately and started collecting fees from vendors prior to the execution of the agreement on December 5.
Suspended Mayor Uy-Tan dismissed the complaints as politically motivated and without basis saying both deals underwent due process and were above board.
Uy-Tan was seeking for her third and last term as mayor in this year’s elections but withdrew her bid and filed instead as a councilor with her younger brother, Dexter, substituting her.
Uy-Tan vowed to contest the order by filing a motion for reconsideration.
The suspension orders were served to Uy-Tan and Gabon on December 28 by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) which paved the way for the assumption of Fuentes and Perez.
It’s not yet clear if the city council could transact business as they still wait opinion from the DILG.
With the assumption of Councilors Fuentes and Perez as acting mayor and vice mayor, the remaining members of the council are Siegfried Uy and Michael Ian Tuazon, city president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen, and Sangguniang Kabataan city federation president, respectively.
Acting Mayor Perez, in a press statement he issued right after he assumed the post, said that he would continue to implement the ‘good’ projects and programs initiated by the suspended mayor.
He added that in his six-month in office, his administration will observe transparency and accountability in all the transactions it would enter.
The acting mayor also vow to engage the people of the city in all the undertakings that he would do.
“I appeal to you, my bosses, to help and extend your cooperation to the city government,” Perez added. (RONALD O. REYES/JOEY A. GABIETA)