’Agaton’ floods 18 villages in Oriental Mindoro town

CITY OF CALAPAN—-Majority of the villages in Baco town in Oriental Mindoro province were flooded due to continuous rains spawned by the tail end of the cold front and Tropical Depression “Agaton.”

Raymundo Aceveda, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management officer of Baco, said 18 of the 27 villages in the town were flooded. These barangays were Bayanan, Mangangan 1 and 2, Mayabig, Tabon-tabon, Malapad, Burbuli, Sta Cruz, Tagumpay, Dulangan 1, Sta Rosa 1 and 2, Alag, Catuwiran 1, Putican-Cabulo, Mayagao, San Andres, and Poblacion.

“These (flooded villages) are low-lying areas. We are a catch basin. The flood levels [reach] as high as [a person’s] neck like (in) Barangay Burbuli. Even us at the municipal hall (were) immersed in one foot (deep) water during typhoon ‘Urduja,’” he said, referring to the December 2017 tropical storm that preceded Agaton.

Classes in the elementary and high school levels, both in private  and public, were suspended early Thursday morning.

Aceveda, a native of this town, said flooding has become their perennial problem and the locals have become resilient, helping them prevent casualties. Madonna T. Virola/Inquirer Southern Luzon