3 people dead as flooding wreaks havoc in Agusan Sur

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur—At least three people are dead in flooding that displaced thousands of residents of the province, according to local disaster rescue teams.

A report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said the body of Archie Jayoma, 22, from Afga village in Sibagat town was found in Nasipit town on Saturday. His remains were identified by his sister, Teresita Flores.

Village chair Vangie Salinas of Ladgadan in this town reported his nephew Jeppy Carles, 22, drowned when he tried to swim in a river at the height of the flooding.

Farmer Guilermo Hilarion also drowned in Comota village in La Paz town.

Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza on Saturday visited three villages in La Paz where huge tracts of land were inundated and dozens of houses were swept away by raging floodwater.

Plaza has called on residents of the farming village of Lydia to help save thousands of rubber seedlings which were supposed to be planted under a livelihood program called Upland Sustainable Agri-forestry Development Program (USAD).

USAD is the governor’s flagship program which seeks to reduce poverty in upland hinterland villages of the province.

He also visited the villages of San Patricio and Comota to distribute relief goods.

Hundreds of lauan logs, believed to have been washed down from the mountains, were seen in San Patricio village while at least 50 houses were destroyed by strong currents in Lydia.

Justiniano Deligero, 81, La Paz resident, said he suffered a doubled whammy—the floods swept his house away and destroyed his crops.

“The flood changed its course,” he said.

His neighbor, Jose Andaya, 74, said he lost 15 sacks of corn that were ready for milling.

Allan Lim, La Paz councilor, said although the floods started to subside, several villages are still inundated, giving officials a difficult time in delivering relief goods to residents who had fled to higher ground. —CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN