Another Negros Occidental town declares state of calamity

Negros Occidental map. INQUIRER FILES

BACOLOD CITY — A town in Negros Occidental was placed under a state calamity due to the widespread damage caused by the heavy rains and flooding in all 16 barangays of the municipality last week.

The local council of Valladolid town, in a special session approved on Sept. 20, the recommendation of its mayor to mitigate the effects of the bad weather spawned by the southwest monsoon.

Valladolid is the fourth local government in Negros Occidental to be placed under a state of calamity.

The three others are La Carlota City, Hinigaran, and San Enrique.

READ: Days of rains trigger flooding in Negros Occidental; child drowns

The state of calamity declaration enables local governments to access emergency funds to implement relief operations to aid affected residents.

Irene Bel Ploteña, Provincial Disaster Management Program Division head, said the recent rains and floods affected 9,255 families with 27,765 members in Valladolid.

At least four houses in the town were destroyed while 184 others were damaged.

Ploteña said the heavy rains and flooding left P18.8 million in damage to rice crops while the aquaculture and livestock sectors of the municipality lost P42,000 and P196,694 respectively.

The heavy rain and flooding were caused by the southwest monsoon that was enhanced by tropical storms Ferdie and Helen and tropical depression Gener.