State of calamity declared in Occidental Mindoro town

CITY OF CALAPAN — San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro was placed under state of calamity Thursday afternoon.after Typhoon “Ursula” (international name: Phanfone) hit the province on Christmas day.

San Jose Mayor Romulo Festin said in a phone interview that almost all their barangays are affected, several boats, including the newly-built MV Gem-Vir, were damaged.

The new MV Gem-Vir would have replaced the original boat that sunk in the West Philippine Sea after a Chinese vessel rammed it in June.

While Festin was thankful for the assistance that came from both government and nongovernment groups, he appealed for “bayanihan” in the villages and not to limit their role in reporting what happened to them.

Festin also said they were still validating a reported casualty.

He noted that there were still those who did not heed typhoon warnings from authorities before Ursula hit the province.

According to Lt. Col. Imelda Tolentino, Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan (Mimaropa) police information officer, at least 2,667 individuals or 265 families werr evacuated in Occidental Mindoro.

Edited by LZB