State of calamity declared in Western Visayas provinces
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Visayas Bureau
First Posted 19:49:00 06/23/2008
ILOILO CITY, Philippines -- The provinces of Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz, Antique and Iloilo City were declared under a state of calamity as the death toll and reports of damage brought by typhoon "Frank" (international codename: Fengshen) in Western Visayas continued to rise.
The officials in these areas have sought relief assistance, such as ready-to-eat food, potable water and dry clothes, as evacuees reached hundreds of thousands.
In Iloilo City alone, 198,545 persons stayed at the 58 evacuation centers as 135 out of the 180 villages were flooded, OIC-Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said.
On Friday, the crisis management monitored the water level at Jaro River reaching 5.8 meters. The critical level was set at 2.5 meters. Mabilog said families along the riverbanks were evacuated to the Jaro gym.
The Iloilo provincial disaster coordinating council reported that the flooding displaced over 353,000 persons in various towns.
Vice President Noli de Castro, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Social Welfare Esperanza Cabral and Senators Richard Gordon and Manuel "Mar" Roxas visited affected areas and victims to assess the situation and handed out relief assistance to victims in evacuation centers.
De Castro directed national government agencies to coordinate with affected local government units to hasten the delivery of assistance. He also instructed the officials to submit update reports
"The damage is of unparalleled proportions," Duque told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a telephone interview Duque said a major concern is the prevention of an outbreak of diseases especially water-borne sickness and respiratory track infections. He noted that many hospitals were damaged and patients had to be relocated to other hospitals.
The Regional Disaster Coordinating Council reported 123 deaths as of Monday morning including 86 in Iloilo, 15 in Iloilo City, 12 in Antique, six in Capiz and one in Negros Occidental. Twenty nine others were injured while 221 remain missing.
But data from the provincial disaster coordinating council of Iloilo reported 107 dead, 128 missing and 16 injured as of 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Iloilo Governor Neil Tupas Sr. estimated the damage to infrastructure reaching P500 million.
On the other hand, Vice Governor Rolex Suplico estimated the damages on agriculture sector at P1 billion.
In Aklan, residents of the capital town of Kalibo and neighboring areas waded through ankle-deep mud in the aftermath of the worst flooding experienced in Western Visayas.
"It's terrible here," Aklan Representative Florencio Miraflores told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.
Miraflores said the whole province has no electricity and the lines of two telephone companies are still down. The province has been cut off from communication since Saturday as mobile phone signals remain erratic and only text messages are possible at most times.
At least 13 persons died in the province based on initial reports, according to Miraflores.
Aside from Kalibo, hardest hit were the towns of Numancia, Banga, Ibajay, New Washington and other areas along the Aklan River.
"We need potable water and ready-to-eat food and dry clothes," appealed Miraflores.
Water supply has been cut off after the flood damaged the generating sets of water system supplying Kalibo and neighboring towns. The Aklan provincial hospital also remained without electricity as of yesterday.
Resorts and hotels on Boracay Island relied on generating sets as electric and phone system continued to be down, according to Senior Inspector Auxilio Dador, chief of the Boracay Special Tourist Protection Office.
Strong winds and waves damaged or destroyed 76 pumpboats and speedboats. The hardest hit was along the Bolabog area where an estimated P50 million worth of properties were destroyed.
Thousands of passengers stranded on the island and at the Caticlan jetty port over the weekend had started to go home since Sunday, according to Dador.
Antique Governor Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez, chair of the Regional Development Council of Western Visayas, appealed for help for Panay Island.
"All provinces were badly hit. I appeal to all agencies to give assistance especially food, dry clothes and water to the victims," Perez told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.
Antique had 31 fatalities and 59 still missing as of 5 p.m. Monday, said Perez.
Meanwhile, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the damage to Iloilo was "unprecedented and unexpected."
He appealed for prayers and help for the victims as he loaded the outpouring of help and donations of food, clothes and clothes poured in from various sectors.
"Food, medicine, materials for rehabilitation are gratefully welcomed. Communal action is at work. God bless them."
The prelate said the people should continue praying amid the calamity.
But the prelate scored the US trip of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her party amid the calamity.
"In the face of the exaggerated and expensive trip of more than 60 of our national leadership to the United States for more than a week, how can we talk of austerity and frugality in spending the people's taxes, knowing for whom they must be urgently applied in times of great calamity," said Lagdameo. With reports from David Israel Sinay and Felipe V. Celino
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