Davide: Cebu to remain under ‘state of calamity’

CEBU will remain under a “state of calamity.”

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said this after visiting the northern towns of the province which were the hardest hit by supertyphoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan). Parts of Cebu were under storm signal number 4 when Yolanda passed through the country Friday and left a trail of devastation in its path.

Last month, the provincial government declared a “state of calamity” after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Central Visayas last Oct. 15.

“We’ll concentrate on the northern part of Cebu which was badly damaged by the supertyphoon. But we’re not neglecting the southern part of Cebu,” Davide said (see page 4 for overall situation of typhoon-struck areas).

Personnel from Smart Communications set up a “libre tawag” center in barangay Poblacion, Bantayan Island.

Neil Sanchez, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) chief, said Bantayan Island is 90 percent devastated with no water, food and shelter.

Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac, Cebu provincial police chief, said 95 percent of the towns of Daanbantayan, Bantayan Island, Medellin, Tabogon, San Remegio, Bogo and Madridejos were devastated. Military trucks also delivered relief goods yesterday to these areas. Several schools were damaged in Bantayan island including 13 in Madridejos town. In San Francisco town, former mayor Al Arquillano said there were 773 damaged houses and 1,547 partially damaged houses. He pegged agricultural damage at P200 million.

Sanchez said roads heading to northern Cebu are already passable and trips to and from Bantayan and Hagnaya resumed last Saturday.

The bad news, he said, is that it will take three months to fully restore power in Bantayan Island.

In San Remigio town, Fr. Tony Mansueto said the San Juan Nepumuceno Center was damaged.

He appealed for water and food supplies.

“Bisan rice, noodles, sardines, coffee and sugar,” he said.

Gillamac said people had to go to higher ground in order to secure clear signals for their cell phones.

Sanchez said their council activated a temporary communication center in Bantayan town hall which can be used by the police and residents. /Ador Vincent Mayol and Jhunnex Napallacan with Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos and Correspondents Michelle Joy L. Padayhag and Peter L. Romanillos