BY IME SORNITO AND DOMINIQUE GABRIELE BAÑAGA
ILOILO City – Heavy rains from Tuesday night up to yesterday morning generated by Tropical Storm “Dante” pounded parts of Western Visayas. Sea and land travel were adversely affected.
Based on the initial report of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6, areas overwhelmed by flashfloods included President Roxas (barangays Poblacion and Ibaca) and Dumarao (barangays Poblacion Ilaya, Tinaytayan, Janguslob, Malonoy, Guintos, and Calapawan) in Capiz province.
Mostly of the villages experienced flooding in rice fields and roads. Some residential areas were inundated, too.
Floodwaters eventually receded, Cindy Ferrer, OCD-6 spokesperson, told Panay News.
Eighteen families composed of 82 individuals in Capiz moved to evacuation centers.
Meanwhile, four fisherfolks in Pilar, Capiz went missing. Their pump boat capsized, according to Ferrer.
“There’s an ongoing search and rescue sa aton missing persons,” she noted.
As this was being written, OCD was yet to receive situational reports from Iloilo City, Antique and Guimaras.
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
Zeaphard Caelian, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD), said flooding was reported in the towns of Binalbagan, Isabela, and Hinoba-an in the south and Victorias City in the north.
In Binalbagan and Hinoba-an, 10 families composed of 86 individuals evacuated to higher ground.
Hinoba-an’s Councilor Jason Tembrevilla Tupas, meanwhile, said a pickup truck carrying a retired uniformed personnel and his wife was swept away by raging floodwaters.
The pickup truck was later found along the town’s coastline, totally mangled.
The couple was rescued Wednesday morning.
Residents of Talisay City, on the other hand, scrambled to clear waterways of garbage to prevent flooding and clogging.
Bacolod City not spared, too. Several residents in barangays Alijis and Tangub fled their homes.
An overflow in the city’s Barangay Vista Alegre was also destroyed.
Residents have long complained that the overflow was in need of repair.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) again hoisted Storm Signal No.1 in the northern portion of the province including Bacolod City. Trips heading to Panay Island and Cebu were canceled Wednesday morning.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Negros Occidental reported that 169 passengers and 101 rolling cargoes got stranded at the Bredco port in Bacolod City, Feeder Port in Sagay City, Danao Port in Escalante City, and the Port of San Carlos City.
A total of 17 vessels and one motorbanca heading to either Panay Island or Cebu were barred from leaving port.
Sea travel resumed at around 11 a.m. after Pagasa removed the storm signal warning for Negros Occidental and Iloilo province.
ILOILO
Based on the information OCD-6 gathered so far, 200 residents of Iloilo province were evacuated.
Balasan – a town in northern Iloilo – evacuated at least 169 families composes of 527 individuals.
These families were from the following barangays:
* Poblacion Sur (49)
* Poblacion Norte (13)
* Maya (four)
* Mamhut Sur (41)
* Kinalkalan (15)
* Cabalic (six)
* Mamhut Norte (41)
“Ang iban sa ila nakabalik naman sa ila kabalayan matapos nga nag-subside na ang tubig-baha,” said Dr. Jerry Bionat, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head.
“Other municipalities such as Carles, Batad, Estancia, and San Dionisio nagtaas man ang tubig pero waay nag-result sa flooding… Sa banwa sang Sara, Ajuy and Concepcion nagtaas ang tubig sa mga rice paddies pero waay nag-overflow,” Bionat told Panay News.
Areas in the 3rd and 4th districts of Iloilo were also pounded by heavy rains.
Bionat also received reports from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of San Joaquin about a landslide on the national road “but nangin passable man because the local government unit was quick to respond.”
No casualties or missing persons were reported, said Bionat.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Panay News, Balasan’s Mayor Manuel Ganzon said they have not yet received reports of damage to homes and infrastructure.
SEA TRIPS
As of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, these sea trips resumed, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Iloilo Station:
* Iloilo City en route to Bacolod City, Negros Occidental and vice versa;
* Iloilo City en route to Cebu City and vice versa;
* Dumangas, Iloilo en route to Bacolod City, Negros Occidental and vice versa;
* Carles, Iloilo to en route to Gigantes Island, Iloilo and vice versa;
* Estancia, Iloilo en route to Gigantes Island, Sicogon Island, Carles, Iloilo and vice versa;
* Estancia, Iloilo en route to Tabuelan, Cebu via Sagay City, Negros Occidental and vice versa; and
* Iloilo City en route to Cagayan De Oro and vice versa.
These trips, meanwhile, are still cancelled:
* Iloilo City en route to Manila, Batangas and vice versa; and
* Iloilo City en route to Palawan and vice versa.
As of 10 a.m. on Wednesday, OCD-6 recorded 600 stranded passengers, 247 rolling cargoes, 28 passenger vessels, and two motorbancas in different areas in the region.
“On Wednesday afternoon, wala na sang na-stranded nga mga pasahero because sea trips resumed at 11 a.m.,” Ferrer added./PN
