Bacolod, Antique town declare state of calamity due to flooding

By Glazyl Y. Masculino, Rjay Z. Castor, and Dolly Yasa

The Bacolod City government and municipality of Sibalom in Antique declared a state of calamity yesterday due to massive flooding brought by Typhoon “Goring” and the southwest monsoon that affected more than half of the 61 barangays here in the past days.

The Bacolod City Council during their regular session approved a resolution of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) recommending the declaration due to the effects of the typhoon, particularly flooding that affected 33 barangays.

City officials led by Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez and concerned agencies gathered in a meeting at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) yesterday to discuss measures that will be implemented after the city suffered from the effects of the typhoon.

In a media interview, Benitez said that the primary objective of the meeting was to pinpoint the root causes of the flooding and to formulate effective strategies to minimize flooding in the city.

Obstructions along rivers and creeks, and the accumulation of sediments in waterways originating from upland areas were some of the root causes identified, according to Benitez. The lack of interconnection of inland drainage systems was also mentioned.

During the meeting, some potential solutions proposed to address the issues included the construction of flood walls along vulnerable rivers and creeks, dredging of sediment-clogged waterways, interconnecting the existing drainage systems, upgrading the capacity of current drainage infrastructure, and implementing proper management practices to clear obstructions from rivers and creeks.

Benitez also shared the initiative of Delta Works in Netherlands, a series of pumping stations that are responsible for controlling water levels and ensuring that excess water is pumped out to sea which prevents flooding.

Based on the cumulative report of the CDRRMO, 3,998 families or 12,868 individuals have been affected by flooding since Sunday night, August 27.

Barangay Singcang-Airport has the highest number of evacuees at 2,789, followed by Barangay Sum-ag with 1,973, and Barangay Pahanocoy with 938.

There were 3,196 families or 9,527 persons who took temporary shelter in 54 evacuation centers.

SIBALOM HARDEST HIT, TOO

Meanwhile, Sibalom town in Antique was also placed under a state of calamity following the damages of the torrential rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon enhanced by Typhoon Goring over the area.

The local government unit passed a resolution on Wednesday as recommended by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).

Data from the MDRRMO indicated that 510 families or 1,819 individuals were affected by the heavy rains.

Eleven of the 76 villages were affected by flooding. These include Barangays District II, Nagdayao, San Juan, Odiong, Pis-anan, Villahermosa, Sido, San Juan, Iglanot, Panlagangan and Alangan.

Severe erosion due to the current of the Tipuluan River affected the Nagdaya National Road and the temporary access road in Sitio Tangkulan, Barangay Nagdayao has been rendered impassable to all types of vehicles.

Major damage due to erosion on another road in Barangay Mabini was also recorded. The concrete road on the alternate route in the village is only accessible by motorcycles.

The damage to two access roads led to 18 other upland barangays in the town being isolated since no alternative route has been made to connect to the other barangays.

This has also severed access to goods, services, and vital supplies to and from the barangays of Mabini, Panlangan, Pis-anan, Initan, Igcococ, Bontol, Luna, Luyang, Lambayagan, Tabung-tabung, Calo-oy, Tordesillas, Tula-tual, Bululacao, and Millamena.

P112-M DAMAGE

Typhoon Goring damaged P112,994,041 million worth of agricultural products in Negros Occidental.

A report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office on Wednesday indicated that rice, corn and high-valued crops planted in nine localities suffered the most damage.

Affected farmers numbered 2,743 in 48 barangays that were flooded due to rains brought by Goring.

The land area affected is reported at 3,197 hectares.

For livestock, 24 households in six localities were affected with damage estimated at P1,170,500.

The report also showed that 30,916 families were affected or 110,334 persons in the province of Negros Occidental in 139 barangays in 15 cities and towns.