Zambales solon thanks nat’l gov’t for help

A Zambales congressman on Thursday expressed thanks on behalf of the people of his province for the help that the national government is extending to the province following landslides that killed several people in Subic town.

In a statement, Rep. Jeff Khonghun said local officials and the people of the first district of Zambales were grateful for the relief goods given by the national government to flood victims in the area.

“I know for a fact that the Aquino administration is doing its best and working fast to help and rehabilitate the situation of victims as well as infrastructure and other damages,” said Khonghun in his statement.

The province of Zambales was badly hit by monsoon rains whipped by Typhoon “Odette.”

33 dead

The heavy rains caused floods and landslides in the province leaving a total of 33 people dead, local officials said.

“As we mourn the death of our province mates, we have to make sure that this tragedy would never happen again,” Khonghun said.

“I am confident that with the cooperation of the local government and the different government agencies, we will surely rehabilitate our province and improve the lives of the victims of the typhoon,”  he said.

Several areas in Subic town have been declared permanent danger zones after they were hit by landslides.

Danilo Uykieng,  Mines and Geosciences Bureau regional director in Central Luzon, was quoted by an earlier Inquirer report as saying areas in the boundary of the villages of Wawandue and Cawag, and in Barangay San Isidro in Subic, where landslides occurred on Monday following monsoon rains that started on Sunday, have been declared permanent danger zones.

Residents and officials of Subic said it was the first time the town was hit hard by a disaster.

An earlier Inquirer report said historically, Sta. Rita town in Zambales is the first to experience floods since it is a low-lying area. But when the monsoon rains struck, almost all of Olongapo, a city of more than 220,000 people, was submerged in floodwaters, according to city administrator Mamerto Malabute. Cynthia Balana