GMA orders forced evacuation of residents in some Albay villages

LEGAZPI CITY – President Arroyo ordered yesterday the forced evacuation of residents in villages threatened by mudflow coming from Mayon volcano in anticipation of the coming of typhoon "Seniang" that will hit the eastern part of the country this afternoon.

More than 70,000 people are residing in 41 villages in three cities and five towns in Albay that are threatened by lahar and mudflow that could be induced by heavy rains brought by the typhoon.

The weather bureau reported that Seniang is packing winds of up to 85 kilometers per hour and it is forecast to make landfall in Eastern Samar, about 170 kilometers south of Legaspi City.

Rep. Joey Salceda of the 3rd District of Albay, in a live broadcast over a local station PBN Broadcasting Network here, said that the President had directed disaster management officials in Bicol to enforce a mass evacuation of residents of lahar-threatened areas to avoid another disaster similar to the mudslide that devastated several barangays after super typhoon "Reming" battered Bicol. Over 1,000 people were believed to have been killed in the region last Nov. 30.

Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzales said the provincial government will deploy buses, trucks and other available vehicles for the forced evacuation.

Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, had identified the most high-risk areas as the villages near the Yawa, Masarawag, Maipon, San Rafael, and Ilawod rivers in Guinobatan town.

In 1991, flashfloods in Ormoc City in Leyte killed more than 5,000 people. On Feb. 27, 2006, more than 1,000 died when mudslides swept Barangay Guinsaugon in southern Leyte.

Salceda said Mrs. Arroyo expressed concern over the ordeal suffered by the victims of Reming and she does not want another disaster when Seniang hits the eastern Philippines.

Meanwhile, Speaker Jose de Venecia said he had raised P25 million from 100 congressmen who donated P250,000 each from their public works allocations to help the victims of Reming.

He directed Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House appropriation committee, to raise P12 billion for the typhoon-ravaged regions.

Arnel Capili, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) director in Bicol, said that disaster officials in Bicol particularly in Albay have already agreed to start the mandatory evacuation starting at 12 noon today once the weather bureau is certain that Seniang would directly hit Albay.

Capili said local officials had already identified "holding areas" where the residents will stay for 12 hours if the typhoon passes through Albay.

The holding areas include churches, bus terminals, sports auditoriums and other structures that can withstand strong winds and are safe from floods.

Meanwhile, some 570 bodies have so far been recovered in Albay after Reming devastated the area while more than 700 have remained missing and 26,371 residents are now staying in 42 evacuation centers in Albay.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) assured the families of the typhoon victims that the members of the bureau’s Disaster Victim Identification Team will be able to identify the remaining unidentified bodies.

NBI spokesman Ricardo Diaz said two teams were deployed in Bicol to help identify the fatalities.

This developed as 40 cases of diarrhea were reported by the disease surveillance teams formed by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Provincial Health Office to monitor the possible outbreak of disease at the crowded evacuation centers and in areas that were submerged by floodwaters at the height of typhoon Reming.

Ingrid Magnata, DOH-Bicol assistant regional director, said that the diarrhea patients were treated at the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital.

Magnata, however, said that the diarrhea outbreak was not yet of epidemic proportions.

Aside from diarrhea, cases of sore eyes and chicken pox were also recorded in some evacuation camps.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus appealed to the public to support the repair and rehabilitation of schools damaged by typhoon Reming.

Data gathered from the field by the Physical Facilities and Schools Engineering Division (PFSED) of the Department of Education (DepEd) showed that in Albay, 90 percent or 487 of 541 schools were damaged. — Sandy Araneta, Celso Amo, Delon Porcalla, Evelyn Macairan, AP, AFP