Philippines: Aquino wants review of disaster reduction measures
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday ordered the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to conduct a thorough review of the country’s disaster risk reduction measures to minimize loss of lives during calamities especially in communities.
The President issued the directive to NDRRMC head and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin following reports of casualties in Southern Luzon, Bicol region, Eastern Visayas and Mindanao due to floods and landslides last month.
The President, in an ambush interview during the Philippine Navy command turnover rites, noted that in spite of his earlier directive for concerned agencies to evacuate residents in risk areas , there were still casualties.
“Today , I asked the Secretary of National Defense, being the head of the NDRRMC, to find out exactly why there were two people who died in the same place, “ he said referring to St. Bernard in Southern Leyte , where over a thousand residents died when flashfloods hit the community in 2006. The
recent heavy downpour also caused floods and landslides in the area and claimed at least two lives.
The NDRRMC said at least 37,124 families or 197,641 people from 242 barangays in 39 towns in 10 provinces had been affected.
Based on NDRRMC's Monday update, the following areas are still affected either by floods or landslides:
* Region IV-A (Calabarzon): Barangays El Vita and Paraca, Narra, Palawan
* Region V (Bicol region): Barangays in Jovellar, Daraga, Camalig, Malinao, Polangui, Libon and Tiwi in Albay and Castilla, Sorsogon
* Region VIII (Eastern Visayas): Brgy 92 in Tacloban City, Leyte; majority of the barangays in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte; upstream barangays in Oras, Maslog, Canavid, Dolores, Jipapad and Taft, Eastern Samar; Brgy Fatima, Hinabangan, Western Samar; and Northern Samar
* Region X (Northern Mindanao): Flooding incidents occurred in Tubod, Baroy and Lala, Lanao del Norte due to the overflowing of Bulod River due to continuous rains
* Region XI (Davao region): Monkayo, Compostela, New Bataan and Montevista in Compostela Province due to the overflowing of Agusan River
* CARAGA: Surigao City, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur
* ARMM: 13 barangays in Maguindanao Province; 11 in Talayan and two in Datu Anggal Midtimban
Landslides were reported in Region V (Bicol region): Manito, Sto Domingo, Malilipot and Bacacay, all of Albay with 18 barangays affected; and Region VIII (Eastern Visayas): Artemio Mate Avenue, Tacloban City, Leyte and Brgy.
San Rafael, Hinabangan, Western Samar.
In Mindanao, the CARAGA experienced minor landslides in Surigao City and Dinagat Islands, Brgy Salvacion, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, and three road sections in Agusan del Sur are still impassable to all types of vehicles due to flooding and landslide: Bah-Bah-Talacogon Road, Awa-Aspetia and Butuan Lapaz Road.
In Region XI (Davao region), two footbridges in Brgy Andap, New Bataan, Compostela Valley were washed out while the National Highway along Barangays Cabinuangan and San Roque, New Bataan, Compostela Valley is scoured.
Of the 10 fatalities, five were from Southern Leyte province in Eastern Visayas.