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145 Iloilo families flee rising floodwaters ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MERIANNE GRACE EREÑETA
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ILOILO – “Lord, your will be done.” This was what 51-year-old Rosemarie Abejo of Barangay Capuling, Dueñas, Iloilo whispered to herself when she and her family left their house on Friday afternoon.
Tropical storm “Marce” was blowing strong and the dark clouds above the village were threatening to drop more heavy rains, she told Panay News.
Abejo’s bamboo-and-nipa house was around a hundred meters away from the river. She knew it was only a matter of time before the river would overflow.
The Abejos were just one of several families in Western Visayas that fled their homes located near rivers due to “Marce” on Nov. 25.
In Iloilo province, over 145 families from San Enrique, San Dionisio, Lambunao, Anilao, Calinog, Dueñas, and Janiuay towns and the component city of Passi huddled in evacuation centers, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
Abejo and her family left the house for Barangay Poblacion D, Dueñas where a daughter had a better, stronger abode.
“Ginbaya-an ko ang balay. Hambal ko, Lord, ikaw na lang bahala ah,” said Abejo.
They brought with them some clothes, a sofa, television, several ducks and dogs.
“Grabe ang ulan kag hangin. Nag untat mga alas diyes na sang gab-i,” she said.
Abejo returned to her house yesterday morning.
“Baw ang tubig taga-lumapaw,” she said.
The floodwater nearly reached the second floor of the house.
Abejo was thankful her house was still standing. The hut across hers totally collapsed.
Floodwaters destroyed her chicken coop housing 50 native chickens. But Abejo was lucky half of them survived.
“Ang iban nagsaka sa kahoy. Maayo lang ang mga pato ko gin dala namon,” she said.
Abejo and family members immediately started cleaning the house and its surroundings.
Mud-laced furniture were washed and dried under the sun. They were grateful “Marce” had left and the weather was getting better.
Abejo told Panay News this was not the first time floodwaters wrecked havoc on her house.
“Pagbakal namon sang lote, wala kami kabalo nga ginabaha diri,” said Abejo.
She hoped for any form of assistance from the local government of Dueñas.
“Para makapa-umpisa ako kay-o sang balay namon,” she said.
Partial data from the PDRRMO listed 42 displaced families in Dueñas, 39 families each in Calinog and Passi City, and 20 in San Enrique.
Milrose Cerbas of Barangay Poblacion Ilawod, Passi City was thankful floodwaters did not topple her house.
Just behind her house was the mighty Jalaur River, the second largest river in the island of Panay and the 17th largest river system in the Philippines in terms of drainage basin size.
Jalaur River has an estimated drainage area of 1,503 square kilometers and travels 123 kilometers from its source to its mouth in the Guimaras Strait. It drains the eastern portion of the island and traverses through Passi City and the towns of Leganes, Zarraga, Dumangas, Barotac Nuevo, Pototan, Dingle, San Enrique, Dueñas, and Calinog.
Cerbas told Panay News she and her four children left the house around 2 p.m. on Friday for the Assumption Grade School Passi City.
“Nagsulod ang baha sa balay. Mga taga-hawak,” she said.
They brought with them several clothes, rice, a cooking pot, and charcoal.
“We were starving and decided to cook our meal inside the Assumption Grade School,” said Cerbas.
Around 6 a.m. yesterday Cerbas and her children returned to their house.
“Maayo lang wala naguba,” she said.
Cerbas’ neighbor Alberto Geronimo was grateful, too. His house was still standing strong. Like Cerbas, he also evacuated his family to the Assumption Grade School on Friday.
“Nakaluy-an gid kami sang Diyos,” Geronimo told Panay News.
Everytime there’s a storm, they would get nervous, he revealed.
“Mahalin kami tani balay galing wala kami sayluhan,” said Geronimo.
Yesterday, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said “Marce” was estimated at 335 km west of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, with maximum sustained winds of up to 75 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 95 kph.
“Marce” was forecast to move northwestward of Palawan province’s Pagasa Island by Monday morning (Nov. 28), already outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
In Barangay Tabugon Dingle, Iloilo, the family of 23-year-old Charise Padogino was yet to enter their house as of this writing. There was still floodwater inside.
“Basi isa pa ka-adlaw antes manaog ang tubig,” Padogino told Panay News.
On Friday, the Padoginos moved to their barangay hall.
According to Padogino, their house is inundated everytime there’s a storm.
“Manubo diri abi. Tapos may tubog pa na ‘to sa likod kag sa tabok may suba man,” said Padogino.
Yes, she said, they’re looking for a place to relocate, somewhere that has no flooding problem./PN
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