A combined report on the Flooding Disaster in Region 10
RDCC to mitigate floods in Region 10
The Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) of Region 10 will stay focused in complying with the instructions of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in managing the effects of the floods and storm surges that recently hit the region.
This was stressed by RDCC Executive Officer and Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Region 10 Director Carmelito A. Lupo during the radio program “Ang Rehiyon Karon” at DXIM Radyo ng Bayan, Cagayan de Oro City.
Lupo said RDCC-10 is now complying with the President’s directive along reforestation, rehabilitation and relocation given when she convened both the RDCCs of regions 10 and 13 in Camiguin, last January 7.
Particularly, he said, an initial P3 million of the total P19.979 million funding for the reforestation in the
This amount will be used for the implementation of the upland development program, such as the “Bantay Gubat” (Forest Watch) to rehabilitate the flood-prone areas in the watersheds and riverbanks.
It also includes the emergency employment, livelihood and technical training of the people in the communities which are involved in the project, Lupo added.
Meanwhile, Lupo disclosed that Region 10 suffered an estimated damage cost of P577.869 million due to the recent flashfloods and storm surges that occurred last January 3, 11 and 14, this year. He said that their updated reports show that the highest amount of damage was on infrastructure, particularly, roads and bridges, P346.12 million.
Damage on agriculture is also estimated at Php176.799 million, crops at Php 117.318 million, livestock at P3.239 million and livelihood at P56.242 million as well as public school buildings at P34.231 million.
Also totally damaged were 2,111 houses while 5,955 others were partially damaged, both estimated at P20.719 million.
Lupo said the floods have affected all of the region’s five province that includes four cities, Cagayan de Oro,
There were also 22 dead, 4 injured and two still missing, as of press time.
So far, of the cumulative 125 evacuation centers put up for the flood victims, only seven has remained as of January 20, said Lupo, who is also the Executive Officer of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) in Region 10.
In Misamis Oriental, Teodoro A. Sabuga-a, head of the provincial social welfare and development office and executive officer of the provincial disaster coordinating council said that Perhaps the worst is over for Misamis Oriental. But the rehabilitation work has just begun.
He said that 20 municipalities and two component cities were lashed by flashfloods and battered by storm surges. Some 76,000 residents fled their homes and the extent of damage on roads and bridges, flood control structures, water and irrigation systems, school buildings, daycare centers, houses, crops, fisheries, livestock, poultry, and livelihood projects reached P530 million, although field reports still have to be validated
Sabuga-a organized a “comprehensive indicative disaster planning workshop” which was facilitated by the provincial planning and development office.
He said it was Governor Oscar S. Moreno who insisted a planning workshop be conducted so that extent of damage could be seriously assessed.
The provincial governor is of the belief that the workshop outputs will become valuable inputs in needs assessment as well as in determining the capability and resources of the municipal and city governments, provincial government and its offices, and regional and national agencies of government.
At the DA, Director Lealyn Ramos emphasized that the reports on the damage caused by the January 11 and 13 flooding must be separate from the regular programs, projects and activities of the agriculture department.
Earlier, provincial agriculturist Danilo O. Maputol admitted his office has yet to verify the figures indicated in municipal-level reports and receive the list of farmers whose farms were inundated at the height of the flooding.
Lupo revealed that the entire province of Misamis Oriental whose 21 municipalities have been affected by the flood have been declared under the state of calamity since January 15 that is still in effect up to now.
The other areas that have also been declared under the state of calamity and which are still in effect are Cagayan de Oro City, January 5, Linamon Lanao del Norte, January 14 and Gingoog City, January 16.
In the area of relocation, the Local Chief Executives (LCE) of the flood damaged areas in Region 10 have now identified the relocation sites for their flood victims.
“This move of the LCE’s is in compliance with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ’s directive to designate the relocation sites for the flood victims when she visited the region after the first flooding incident on January 2,” Director Lupo said.
The tail-end of the cold front in Northern Mindanao prevailed from January 2-15 bringing heavy rains with strong surge of the Northeast Monsoon affecting the seaboards of North and
Particularly for Cagayan de Oro City, this weather situation resulted in the concentration of large volumes of water at
Added to it was the early dawn high tide that lasted for almost a week which prevented the River’s normal flow towards
Likewise, there was accumulation of water in the uplands of Iligan, Oroquieta and
In
In Cagayan de Oro City, Mayor Constantino Jaraula has identified 63 hectares in Sitio Calaanan, Barangay Canitoan as relocation site while Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz has identified the Kalubihon Resettlement area and the
On the other hand, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has provided the technical expertise to the LCEs in evaluating the proposed relocation sites, Lupo also said.
On the matter of shelter assistance at least P111.9 million have been allocated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as shelter assistance to victims whose houses were destroyed by the recent floods in Region 10.
OCD Region 10 Director Carmelito A. Lupo, said this is in compliance to the instructions of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she visited
The amount, he said, will be used in providing 1,047 housing units with P50,000 worth of building materials each for families whose houses were totally damaged and P10,000 worth of building materials each for 5,955 families whose houses were partially damaged.
Likewise, a total cost of P3.42 million will be provided for livelihood assistance of the flood victims which can be availed of under the government’s food for work program implemented by DSWD.
On the other hand, Lupo said per instruction of the President, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Region is set to undertake dredging at the mouth of the Cagayan de Oro River and is only awaiting the release of the initial P150 million funding of the project’s total amount of P250 million.
The dredging operations will also be done in Iligan City, particularly at the Mandulog River, while construction of the river control dike at the Tubod-Manauay section and rehabilitation of the drainage in Mahayahay, all of Iligan City costing some P30 million is still proposed for funding.
Priority, however, have been proposed for the urgent repair of the damaged approaches of the Poblacion Bridge in Opol and Agay-ayan Bridge in Medina, both of Misamis Oriental, he said. (With reports from Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob of PIA-10 and from the MisOr PPO)
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