ILOILO CITY – Western Visayas is among the four regions in the country placed under a state of calamity by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. due to Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng.”
The other regions are IV-A, V, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The President’s declaration was upon the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
According to Marcos, the declaration will hasten the rescue, recovery and rehabilitation efforts of the national government and the private sectors.
It will also effectively freeze the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities, and afford the national government as well as the local government units, ample latitude to utilize appropriate funds for rescue recovery, relief and rehabilitation efforts, and for the continuous processing of basic services to the affected populations.
Meanwhile, as instructed by the President, several Cabinet secretaries visited Region 6, particularly Antique and Capiz, led by Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director and National Defense officer-in-charge. They assured Western Visayans of government interventions.
The national government will be pooling available resources so that the concerns of local government units and typhoon victims related to health, water, food and non-food items, shelter and relocations, among others will be responded.
According to Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonian, the President directed them to see to it that immediate actions are taken to restore mobility in calamity-hit areas.
One of the priorities is the repair or reconstruction of Paliwan Bridge in Barangay Laua-an, Antique which connects the province to Aklan and Iloilo.
Bonoan sid other damaged bridges in the region will be fixed, too.
“Hindi po natin pababayaan ‘yan,” said Bonoan during a briefing with officials of Antique headed by Gov. Rhodora Cadiao.
For his part, Iloilo City mayor Jerry P. Treñas welcomed the President’s declaration of a state of calamity.
“This will hasten assistance to the affected families and the rehabilitation of infrastructure destroyed by ‘Paeng,’” Treñas said.
Also the chairperson of the infrastructure committee of the Regional Development Council (RDC), Treñas said they will convene on Nov. 8 to address pressing needs.
He said they will invite Sen. Loren Legarda, all governors and congressmen of Panay Island, and the mayors of Roxas, Panay, Panitan, and Pontevedra towns in Capiz.
“We will also invite the RDC chair, Mayor Albee Benitez of Bacolod City, and co-chair Atty. Jobert Peñaflorida. We will request DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) to report on the damage, the amount needed to repair the same and the length of time needed. We will also request DPWH, the NIA (National Irrigation Administration) and DENR (Department of environment and Natural Resources) their proposed projects to prevent a similar occurrence. A separate similar meeting for Negros Occidental will also be called,” said Treñas.
28 DEAD, 10 MISSING DUE TO ‘PAENG’
Meanwhile, at least 28 persons have died while 10 others have been reported missing in the aftermath of “Paeng” in the region, data from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Emergency Operations Center (EOC-6) on Tuesday, Nov. 1, showed.
The highest death toll was reported in Antique (11). Aklan and Capiz had six each; and Iloilo, five.
The fatalities mostly succumbed to drowning during flashfloods while some were trapped in landslides at the height of the storm over the weekend.
The 10 missing persons included six in Antique; two in Iloilo; and one each in Aklan and Negros Occidental.
Across the region, some 1.13 million individuals in 116 cities and municipalities have been affected by heavy rains and floods.
Around 5,062 houses were also affected, of which 4,550 were partially damaged and 512 were destroyed. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency)/PN
