4 cities under state of calamity

MANILA, Philippines - The cities of Pasay, Marikina and Malabon as well as parts of Valenzuela have been placed under a state of calamity in the wake of floods that inundated most of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Parañaque, on the other hand, declared a state of emergency.

In Pasay, the city council convened a special session yesterday morning – upon the recommendation of Mayor Antonino Calixto – and declared the city under a state of calamity after floods affected 100 barangays.

Calixto said that the move will allow the utilization of the city’s calamity funds for thousands of displaced residents.

He said that based on the records from the city’s social welfare development, a total of 4,671 families or 45,919 individuals were affected by the flood since Sunday.

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard rescued 29 people who were trapped in floodwaters at least four feet deep in Barangay 184 in Maricaban Tuesday night. Among those rescued were a pregnant woman, 14 women, six boys and eight girls, PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said.

The mayor said that at the height of the monsoon rains on Tuesday afternoon, at least half the streets in Pasay were flooded and floodwaters were more than five feet deep in Barangays 180, 181, 182, and 183.

He said the declaration will allow residents to avail of calamity loans provided by the Pag-IBIG Fund and Social Security System and emergency loans from the Government Service Insurance System.

Malabon declared a state of calamity Tuesday afternoon after more than 90 percent of its total land area was submerged in water. As of yesterday morning, 1,131 families, mostly informal settlers living along the banks of the Tullahan River, were evacuated to 17 evacuation centers in different parts of the city.

Bong Padua, Malabon public information office chief, said 95 percent of the city’s 29 barangays were affected and relief operations are still ongoing.

Padua said the council approved a resolution declaring a state of calamity to allow them to utilize funds to rehabilitate the city.

An estimated 6,700 cubic meters of garbage littered the city, with an estimated cost of P1.9 million just to do the cleanup.

Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman placed the city yesterday under a state of calamity and suspended classes at all levels today and tomorrow.

De Guzman announced the twin moves after emerging from a meeting with the city’s disaster council and its members, department heads, councilors and barangay chairmen.

Paul Sison, the city’s public information officer, said De Guzman and the local officials are still locked in a meeting to evaluate the damage brought about by the floods.

At least 5,359 families remain in 22 evacuation centers in Marikina as of yesterday. Officials did not allow them to return home since the continued rainfall could raise the water levels in the Marikina River again.

As of 1:20 p.m. yesterday, Sison said the water level in the river was pegged at 16.7 meters, down from the 19 meters previously recorded Tuesday night.

In Valenzuela, 25 out of 33 barangays were placed under a state of calamity to allow barangay officials to use five percent of the barangays’ funds for their flood-hit constituents’ needs.

Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said those who were affected and staying at different evacuation centers were mostly residents near the Tullahan and Meycauayan Rivers.

Emergency

Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, on the other hand, has declared a state of emergency in the city and asked the city council to approve a resolution to declare a state of calamity in the city.

He said he declared a state of emergency in the city to speed up repairs of infrastructure damaged by the floods, but the declaration of a state of calamity needs a city council resolution.

“This declaration of a state of calamity will enable the city and the barangays to utilize our calamity funds for rescue and relief operations, ensuring immediate delivery of food, shelter, medicines and other necessary services, as well as allow us to carry out infrastructure and community rehabilitation,” Olivarez said.

As of Tuesday night, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said three barangays were severely affected by the floods caused by heavy monsoon rains. It listed at least 197 families who sought shelter in six evacuation sites in Barangays Marcelo, Moonwalk and Don Galo.

The DSWD figure does not include those who opted to stay in their homes but who nevertheless suffered property damage as floodwaters inundated thousands of homes, businesses and commercial establishments. – With Rey Galupo, Evelyn Macairan