More Davao folk flee floodwaters

TAGUM CITY—At least 600 families fled their homes after a portion of an irrigation dike in Davao del Norte gave way, sending a massive volume of water down to at least two villages, provincial welfare officials said.

The heavier than usual rains chipped away portions of the 30-meter wall containing the Tuganay irrigation dike in Dujali, flooding the communities, said Lolita Moral, mayor of Braulio Dujali.

On Friday, a river in Talaingod town also swelled and displaced over a dozen families, according to Arlene Semblante, provincial social welfare officer.

Floods inundated over 200 hectares of rice farms, the town’s main source of livelihood. Newly planted seedlings were washed away or soaked in murky waters, Moral said.

“The water rose very fast that in just a matter of minutes, it was already as high as a standing man,” 61-year-old Elias Betua, a resident of Sitio Bugtong Talisay in Dujali, told the Inquirer in the vernacular.

The mayor said the flooding was reported to have started after 1 a.m. on Saturday, affecting at least three areas in Dujali.

Rescuers from the provincial government’s disaster risk reduction and management council, and Tagum City’s disaster operations center dispatched three rubber boats and personnel to get residents out of their flooded homes. Several roads linking Dujali to nearby towns were rendered impassable to light to medium types of vehicles.

“This is really unfortunate, specifically for our farmers. Our only consolation is that no one was hurt or killed in the flood,” Moral said, adding that this was the second time in a year that her municipality was hit by flood.

Davao City update

In Davao City, the death toll from Tuesday’s flood was officially declared at 31 as hopes for the survival of the last missing victim—a baby boy—dimmed.

The victims were swept away after the Pangi River burst its banks, sending rampaging waters through the streets. At one point during the night, some parts of the city of 1.15 million people were under a record 10 feet of water, officials said.

The city planning and development officer said the city was “paying for the sins of the past” although “it’s not too late to correct them.”

Roberto Alabado III said he was referring to the city zoning plan, which classified as residential zones the low-lying areas of Bangkal and Matina Pangi. Frinston Lim and Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao