DAVAO ORIENTAL, Jan. 21 (PIA)--- Davao Oriental Gov. Corazon Malanyaon appeals for assistance from the national government having assessed the substantial damage left by the recent swept of a low pressure area that led to landslides and flashfloods aside from casualties.
In an interview, Malanyaon requested the disposal and sale of debris of felled trees left by Typhoon Pablo which made a landfall in Davao Oriental, packing winds with estimated strength of 185 to 210 kilometers per hour.
The provincial government earlier estimated felled coconut trees to run about 3 million excluding forest trees which were also uprooted as typhoon Pablo heavily gushed through three of Davao Oriental’s east coast towns of Boston, Cateel and Baganga.
She also appealed the national government to help the province restore the bridges particularly those connecting national highways, and to support the local government in clearing of landslide-affected roads leading to barangays.
She included these among her appeals noting that people’s mobility and even transport of goods and services had been hampered. A number of key bridges connecting towns and nearby provinces collapsed as LPA-induced continuous rains caused flood-waters to surge.
She also asked for a counterpart in acquiring resettlement sites which she said could no longer be fully shouldered by the provincial government, “considering the number of barangays that will have to be relocated .”
“Acquire the lots; we will build the houses and gradually we will undertake the land development of the sites. Kulang na kami talaga dyan. (We really are in need of this.),” she said referring to resources for land acquisition.
After making rounds to LPA-affected areas to assess the general situation, Malanyaon sent a report on Jan. 16 to Task Force Pablo chairperson, Secretary to the Cabinet Rene Almendras, giving him the details of the extent of damage per area.
Gov. Malanyaon revealed that four barangays in the municipality of Boston, including the Poblacion, “need to be relocated,” indicating that government centers and settlements in those barangays were identified as “vulnerable to all possible hazards.’
She cited as the “hardest hit town,” the Municipality of Cateel had seven barangays which were deeply submerged with houses flooded up to their rooftops, at the height of LPA-induced downpour.
“There is a need to relocate their barangay sites and settlements,” she said.
Malanyaon also recommended the relocation of the barangay center of Marayag (in the Municipality of Lupon) where a debris flow swept 165 houses and rolled down boulders, mud and debris with thickness of about one to two meters high based on reports of the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB) XI.
Her report also revealed landslide-affected roads leading to barangays and collapsed bridges causing isolation of sitios and barangays and hampering distribution of relief goods.
January 20, 2014 at 3:00 p.m report of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) XI Low Pressure Area update showed that Davao Oriental had the most number of areas affected and families suffering from the continuous raining caused by the LPA.
Of the total of 23 towns and three cities affected, nine municipalities and one city were in Davao Oriental specifically Boston, Cateel, Baganga, Caraga, Manay, Tarragona, Lupon, Governor Generoso, BanayBanay and Mati City.
Of the 221 barangays affected, 102 were in Davao Oriental; 54 in Compostela Valley; and 63 in Davao del Norte.
Of the 52,807 total affected families, 38,372 were residents of Davao Oriental; 5,190 in Compostela Valley and 9,190 families in Davao del Norte.
Reports from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) XI included in the OD XI Update on Effects of LPA calculated the damage to roads and bridges to run a total of P126,800,000.00. Of the amount, the LPA caused more than P57 million damage in Davao Oriental. (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)
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