BY GLENDA TAYONA, RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS & RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO – A woman died while more than 200 individuals in Western Visayas were displaced by inclement weather due to the southwest monsoon or habagat enhanced by Tropical Depression (TD) “Dodong”.
The casualty was identified as 35-year-old Cecille Fuentes of Barangay Tinigban, Carles, Iloilo.
On Friday night, July 14, Fuentes and three others were aboard a motorbanca and selling goods to a large vessel in the waters of Barangay Tinigban. Due to big waves and strong winds, however, the banca capsized, said Philippine Coast Guard Iloilo commander Paterno Belarmino Jr.
Fuentes was first reported missing. Her body was found past 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, in Barangay Buenavista, Carles.
Her companions Demetrio Lauron Robles, 52; Janice Amante Baclas, 20; and Janine Estrella De Los Reyes, 19, survived.
“Ang ila nga obra nagapamaligya sang mga goods sa mga naga-angkorahe didto but then sang pabalik na may daku nga balud kag nagkulob ang ila sakayan,” Belarmino told Panay News.
Carles police chief Lieutenant Cedrick Cruz added: “Ang tatlo na naka-survive nakakapot sila sa motorboat at ang namatay ay nadala siya ng alon kasi hindi masyado marunong lumangoy.”
Meanwhile, based on the report of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), 62 families composed of 224 individuals from the city and province of Iloilo were displaced by floods caused by heavy rains.
Of the said figure, 37 families or 127 persons moved to four evacuation centers while one family or six persons were served outside evacuation center.
Twenty-eight of the affected families were from Leon town and 34 from Iloilo City, specifically from barangays Balabago and Caluhihan in Jaro district and Maria Clara in the City Proper.
Data also showed that 26 families or 46 individuals from Barangay Nagdayao, Sibalom, Antique were pre-emptively evacuated due to the threat of flooding.
The families voluntarily evacuated; they have already learned from their Typhoon “Paeng” experience, said Cindy Ferrer, spokesperson of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6.
In a separate report released by the Iloilo City Operations Center, as of 4 p.m. yesterday, flooded areas monitored in the city barangays erre the following:
Jaro district
* Desamparados – Zones 1, 2 and 3
* Our Lady of Lourdes – Zone 6
* Sambag – Zone 5
* Cuartero – Zone 4
* Tabuc Suba – Don Delfin going to Tacas
* Barangay Montinola – Zones 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7
* San Vicente
* Calubihan
* Balabago
City Proper
* Bonifacio Tanza – in front of Tanza church
* Rizal Pala-pala II – Purok 6
* Tanza Esperanza – Zone 2
Arevalo
* Yulo Drive
Mandurriao
* Bolilao – Dike 2 area and Block 51 to Sitio Sooc, Sitio Dike 1, Mainuswagon, and Brookside
* Airport – Zones 1 and 2
* Bakhaw – Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6
* Pali Benedicto – Zone 5 Capaque Compound and Zone 3
* Buhang Taft North – (creek area) Zone 1
Lapuz
* Sinikway
* Alalasan – Zones 3 and 4
TD “Dodong” exited the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday and no longer directly affecting any part of the country. However, it continues to enhance the southwest monsoon, dumping rain and causing gusty conditions over Western Visayas.
On Saturday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) removed all tropical cyclone wind signals as “Dodong” cut across the West Philippine Sea.
In the latest PAGASA forecast, Western Visayas will have occasional rains due to southwest monsoon while Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms due to southwest monsoon / localized
thunderstorms.
Strong winds from southwest to south will prevail over Palawan including Kalayaan Islands and Occidental Mindoro.
The state weather bureau added that moderate to strong winds from southwest to southeast will prevail over the whole Visayas, with moderate to rough seas./PN
