ILOILO City – Tropical Depression “Verbena” passed over Western Visayas on Tuesday, Nov. 25, without causing major damage to lives and livelihoods, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6.
Atty. Melissa Banias, chief of the OCD-6 Operations Section, said the impact was largely limited to class suspensions, stranded passengers due to halted sea travel, and short-lived flooding in some barangays.
“Generally speaking sa Region 6 daw wala gid man masyado sang damage or effect compared to what we have during Typhoon ‘Tino’,” Banias told Panay News.
Based on data from the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 as of 7 a.m. Tuesday, a total of 2,315 schools in 81 municipalities and cities suspended face-to-face classes and shifted to alternative learning modalities, affecting 778,598 learners.
Here’s the breakdown of affected learners per Schools Division Office (SDO):
* Antique – 120,926
* Capiz – 151,783
* Guimaras – 40,420
* Iloilo – 342,578
* Iloilo City – 73,413
* Passi City – 20,044
* Roxas City – 30,061
Sea travel was also disrupted. As of 12 noon on Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard District Western Visayas recorded 914 stranded passengers, nine vessels, and 577 rolling cargoes across 185 monitored ports in the region.
From reports of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6, Banias said that as of 11:30 a.m., only 67 families or 156 individuals were staying in evacuation centers after undergoing preemptive evacuation.
The OCD-6 also received reports of flooding, particularly in 24 barangays in Iloilo City, but these quickly receded.
In Iloilo province, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) reported that as of 12 noon, only two municipalities – Janiuay and Lambunao – conducted preemptive evacuation involving 12 families or 29 individuals living in low-lying areas.
As of this writing, no damage to houses or the agriculture sector in the province had been recorded.
Prepared LGUs, weaker winds credited
Banias attributed the minimal impact of “Verbena” to early preparedness measures and established disaster protocols of local government units (LGUs).
“Indeed they have done their part. they have executed what has been planned and preventive measures nila in placed,” she said.
She also noted that the rainfall over the region was not as heavy or prolonged as initially forecast – which was 100 to 200 millimeters – helping limit the number of evacuees.
Aside from that, Banias said, “Verbena” remained a tropical depression with relatively weaker winds, reducing the potential for serious damage despite making landfall in Miag-ao, Iloilo on Tuesday morning, Nov. 25.
Because of this combination of advance preparations and less intense weather conditions, Western Visayas was largely spared from significant harm even as normal activities were temporarily disrupted./PN
