Marcos to DPWH:Find solutions to prevent frequent flooding
President Marcos said that a long-term solution must be found for the flood situation in this country.
Visiting flood-hit Misamis Occidental on Wednesday, January 11, President Marcos ordered a march to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to find a solution to the persistent problem that has left dozens Thousands of people in Mindanao were displaced.
“We look at everything to find a solution.
We will continue to dredge the rivers so that the water does not flow out of the rivers as quickly and we will continue to improve our flood control capabilities,” the President said in Filipino as he led the aid distribution support at the Sports Complex.Tudela municipality.
“But in the long term, we need to think about how to make sure this never happens again.
” We no longer face this type of risk,” he added.
According to a statement by the Presidential Communications Office, the plane carrying Marcos and other government officials made three landing attempts before landing at Ozamiz City Airport due to bad weather.
Marcos ordered DPWH to expedite the restoration of damaged infrastructure and conduct a study on how to address flooding in Misamis Occidental.
During the update on the situation in Ozamiz City, the President asked DPWH to determine the cause of flooding in the province and work with relevant agencies to find solutions.
He also urged authorities to seek help from Japan, citing the country’s extensive experience and expertise in dealing with floods.
Local officials in Misamis Occidental talked to Marcos about the idea of building infrastructure that could divert water flow through a river to reduce flooding in the town of Clarin.
Local authorities said weeks of heavy rain had damaged bridges and other infrastructure, including the government-built flood control system.
They told the President that more than 16,000 families had been affected by floods in their province.
A total of 76 pieces of infrastructure worth 132.14 million pesos were damaged, including two bridges in Oroquieta town.
A total of 5,594.75 hectares, or P154.38 million, in agricultural losses were recorded in Northern Mindanao.
New Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo Jr.
and Department of Social Welfare and Development official Edu Punay joined the President during his visit.
Marcos led the distribution of approximately P16.
04 million worth of aid to affected families in the province.
“I’ve wanted to come here for a long time but the weather really didn’t want us to fly.
So now we just took a chance and had to fly three times before we could land,” the general manager said during a briefing with Misamis Western Governor Henry Oaminal at the city airport.
The presidential plane landed in the town of Ozamiz instead of the town of Oroquieta as originally scheduled due to bad weather.
Bad weather also prevented Marcos from inspecting the town of Oroquieta to see the extent of the damage.Marcos also spearheaded the distribution of cash aid amounting to P5,000 to each affected fisherman in Gingoog, Misamis Oriental, under the government’s Crisis Assistance Program.
OCD: 10 dead
On Wednesday, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said 10 people, not 11 as some reports said, had died as a result of rain and flooding caused by low pressure areas across the country.
OCD reported that 10 people died and four others were injured, including regions 4A (Calabarzon), 4B (Mimaropa) and 5 (Bicol) in Luzon and parts of Visayas and Mindanao, including the Bangasamoro autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao.
After further verification, one of the deaths reported in Capiz province died due to weather circumstances other than the low pressure zone.\
Gandara Municipality, Samar Province, Eastern Visayas, declared a state of natural disaster; and the municipality of Tubod, Lanao del Norte in Mindanao, where rain and flooding damaged 487 homes.
Meanwhile, Marcos said the flood casualties in Northern Mindanao, especially in Misamis Oriental, were “not too bad.”
“I think at least the immediate concerns have been resolved.
I look at the casualty rate and I think it’s not too bad because it was a sudden flash flood…We couldn’t prepare,” the president said, citing the government’s effective preventive evacuation measures.government to minimize casualties.
OCD reported 69,308 families, or a total of 291,826 people, were affected by rains that began on January 2, displacing 784 families or 3,224 individuals.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the shear line and low pressure area brought moderate to heavy rain to most of Visayas and Mindanao.
Due to torrential rains, 3 more deaths and 2 missing people were reported in Eastern Visayas over the weekend.
In Mahaplag, Leyte, the body of Dioscoro Pauyon, 53 years old, was found in a flooded rice field last Tuesday morning, January 10.On the same day, the body of Lolita Mendoza, 74 years old, went missing last January.
4, found in Isabel, also in Leyte.
The third confirmed death was a disabled person who panicked and suffered a heart attack when floodwaters rose in Barangay San Pascual, Dolores, Eastern Samar, also last Tuesday.
In Borongan town, police are still searching for couple Carlito and Winefreda Dagumay, who went missing on Monday when rain brought floodwaters along the Suribao River, where the couple was last seen on a boat.
OCD said total infrastructure damage as of Wednesday was at least P153 million, while agricultural damage was more than P11.
7 million.
Relocation
Meanwhile, the President directed the National Housing Authority to immediately find resettlement areas for Misamis Occidental residents whose homes were destroyed by recent floods.“We will find resettlement places for those whose homes were completely destroyed,” Marcos said.
He said once the resettlement area is identified, the government will send construction materials so people can start building new houses.
The President also ordered the allocation of more than 3 million pesos to repair schools damaged by floods in the province.
“If the LGU can undertake this work, we can send you over P3 million immediately.
Because what is stated here is about school buildings,” Marcos said in another update on the situation in Gingoog City.
Gingoog Mayor Erick Cañosa revealed 57,937 people were affected by flooding due to bad weather.
Local authorities said there were two deaths in Gingoog and seven people were injured.
In Isabela town, Basilan, flash floods caused by heavy rains swept through 12 barangays before dawn on Wednesday, forcing residents to relocate.
Barangays Baluno, Lanote, Aguada, Sunrise, Cabunbanta, Menzi, Sumagdang, Makiri, Isabela, Riverside, Kumalarang and Tabuk were the worst affected by the intense flooding.
Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone called for quick repairs to houses hit by landslides in the resettlement area in Salcedo town, where about 50 families were evacuated after their homes were damaged.
Class suspensions
The governor said classes in public and private schools were suspended Wednesday in 27 of the 32 local government units in Negros Occidental, Western Visayas.
President Eugenio José Lacson has placed all disaster risk reduction and management offices on high alert.Classes suspended in the highly urbanized Bacolod City, including the component cities of Silay, Sagay, Victorias, San Carlos, Talisay, Bago, Kabankalan, La Carlota, Cadiz, Escalante and Himamaylan, Calatrava , Pulupandan, Isabela, Cauayan, Ilog, La Castellana., Binalbagan, Hinigaran, Don Salvador Benedict and Candoni.
Working hours at the Provincial Party Committee Buildings in Negros Occidental and Silay City were shortened to allow officials to go home earlier.
Precautionary evacuations were carried out in low-lying areas, especially in Sitio Tanaw, Barangay Poblacion and Sagay City, where floodwaters began to rise on Wednesday.
Similarly, work and classes in most towns in Samar province, Eastern Visayas, have been suspended due to torrential rains and intermittent flooding.Authorities are monitoring possible landslides, especially around schools.
Suspended trips
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has deployed a special task force and suspended many sorties of various ships in areas affected by low pressure to avoid accidents and ensure the safety of tourists.beachgoers.
All boat trips from Sarangani, Davao Occidental to Balangonan, Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental and General Santos City were suspended due to “moderate to strong winds.
The Northeastern Mindanao District of the PCG has been placed on high alert for the adverse effects that heavy rains have brought to the Caraga region.Several children and elderly people trapped in their homes due to heavy rains were rescued by the Zamboanga City PCG on Wednesday when floodwaters rose to waist height.
Meanwhile, the Communications Department of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) announced that 10 domestic flights were canceled due to bad weather at noon.
