BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA & IME SORNITO
BACOLOD City – More than 31,000 individuals across Western Visayas were either evacuated or sought shelter someplace else yesterday due to the southwest monsoon or habagat enhanced by Super Typhoon “Egay”.
Up to 25 barangays from Bacolod City and the towns of Pontevedra, San Enrique, Hinoba-an, Valladolid, Don Salvador Benedicto, and La Castellana, and the cities of Bago and Sipalay, among others, were affected by torrential rains experienced all over Negros Occidental, data from the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD) showed.
In Bacolod City, 99 families or 3,378 individuals were displaced, according to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office as of 6:30 p.m. yesterday.
The town of Valladolid was the most affected with around 3,338 families or 22,168 individuals affected as of 11 a.m. yesterday.
The PDMPD, however, did not have data as to how many were staying in evacuation centers, although 14 of the town’s villages were affected.
In San Enrique, at least three families compose of nine individuals stayed at the evacuation center of Barangay Baliwagan.
In Bago City, 18 families were evacuated to safer grounds in Barangay Ma-ao: 17 families sought shelter with unaffected relatives or friends and one family stayed at the evacuation center.
Eleven families from Barangay Sangke, Hinoba-an took shelter at the evacuation center.
Dave Cuajao, weather forecaster for PDMPD-Negros Occidental, said even though “Egay” is not directly affecting the province, the southwest monsoon can still bring heavy rains and strong winds in the province.
Cuajao said it is still dangerous for fishermen to venture out to sea as the sea conditions are forecasted to be rough to very rough.
Moreover, residents living near rivers were advised to be vigilant for floods while those living in the mountains were cautioned for possible landslides.
For its part, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) distributed food packs to the affected residents.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson also cancelled work in the provincial government yesterday morning due to the heavy rains.
As of 1 p.m. yesterday, there were also 189 families composed of 598 individuals from 17 barangays in Antique province and one family composed of four individuals in Guimaras who were affected by the inclement weather, data from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) 6 showed.
Some of them stayed at the evacuation centers.
As of this writing, there were also seven damaged houses in Negros Occidental and Antique while one road section and one bridge in Antique were affected.
STRANDED PASSENGERS, CANCELLED SEA TRIPS
The RDRRMC-6 also logged 480 passengers and 113 rolling cargoes in Aklan and Negros Occidental stranded due to the inclement weather.
Meanwhile, with a gale warning issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Iloilo cancelled all sea trips via motor banca in Iloilo province beginning 5 a.m. yesterday.
Coast Guard Commodore Paterno B. Belarmino Jr., PCG-Iloilo commander, issued a public advisory of the cancellation of the following trips:
* Bancal Port to Gigantes Island and vice versa
* Gigantes Island to Estancia Port and vice versa
* Sicogon Island to Estancia Port and vice versa
* Poblacion, Concepcion to Barangay Tambaliza and vice versa
* Poblacion, Concepcion to Barangay Igbon and vice versa
* Poblacion, Concepcion to Barangay Malangabang and vice versa
Belarmino also advised all inbound and outbound sea travels of bigger craft in the province to take extra precautionary measures.
“All fisherfolks, coastal communities are advised not to venture out into the sea and to withhold from conducting any sea-related activities while large sea vessels are alerted against big waves to prevent any untoward incident,” the advisory further read.
PAGASA also issued a gale warning No. 5 for strong gale force winds associated with Super Typhoon “Egay” (international name: Doksuri) and habagat in the following: the southern and western seaboards of Southern Luzon and the seaboards of Visayas, particularly the rest of Quezon, the rest of Camarines Sur, the rest of Albay, the rest of Sorsogon, Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands, Marinduque, Romblon, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Siquijor, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan including Kalayaan, Calamian, Cuyo, and Cagayancillo Islands.
Dr. Jerry Bionat, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), explained that the enhanced southwest monsoon brought on the rains experienced in the province.
“Normal ini sia naton nga panahon these months of July, August, and September,” he added.
Bionat also urged residents living near rivers or at the foot of mountains to remain vigilant.
Continuous rains, he said, could cause water in rivers to overflow as well as soften the ground and cause a landslide./PN
