24 Cebu City barangays placed under state of calamity

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Council has placed at least 24 barangays under a state of calamity due to damages caused by Typhoon Agaton earlier this month.

However, the minority councilors have questioned the propriety of such move saying no damage report was shown to justify the declaration.

Such declaration will allow the city government to access its calamity fund to be used for projects that will help repair the affected barangays.

The barangays are Babag, Basak San Nicolas, Binaliw, Bonbon, Budlaan, Buhisan, Cogon Pardo, Duljo Fatima, Guba, Inayawan, Kalunasan, Labangon, Lusaran, Mabolo, Mambaling, Pulangbato, Pung-ol Sibugay, San Roque, Sinsin, Sirao, T. Padilla, Tabunan, Talamban, and Tisa.

Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Infrastructure, delivered a privilege speech during the council’s regular session Wednesday to move for the declaration.

Guardo said Cebu recorded rainfall of 202.1 mm on April 9, 2022 based on the data submitted by Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO).

The severe rainfall continued until April 14 that affected the city, especially the mountain barangays and low-lying barangays, which caused flooding, landslide and rockfall, fallen trees, and collapsed structures.

“Our CCDRRMO, immediately dispatched personnel to monitor incidents in every barangay and evacuate families to a safe location,” said Guardo.

Guardo said flooding was recorded in barangays Bacayan, Binaliw, Sapangdaku, Mabolo, Malubog, Lusaran, and Talamban.

Meanwhile, the severe rainfall also caused landslides and rockfall incidents in barangays Pamutan, Sapangdaku, Agsungot, Toong, Sinsin, Cantipla, Binaliw, Budlaan, Sirao, Guba, and Pung-ol Sibugay.

“With this, the CCDRRMO evacuated 252 families, excluding the 997 individual evacuees that were brought to San Nicolas,” said Guardo.

Guardo added that the CCDRRMO inspected the road status in the different areas in the city to check whether it is passable or not and if not, clearing operations were conducted in these areas. The barangays affected are Babag, Bonbon, Binaliw, Pamutan, Buot-taop, and Malubog.

“Besides, though clearing operations have been made, there is a need to continuously provide the presence of CCDRRMO personnel and heavy equipment so as to prevent any further landslides and rockfall and to take immediate action on the matter without awaiting for any lives and properties to be lost,” he said.

Abstained

However, minority councilors Nestor Archival, Sr., Alvin Dizon, Lea Japson, Jessica Resch and Joy Augustus Young abstained from the passage of the resolution.

Archival said they are yet to see the individual reports from each of the identified barangays, stating that this should be the basis for the city’s declaration.

Dizon said they are yet to see a clear assessment of the damage brought by the typhoon.

Meanwhile, Councilor David Tumulak objected to the approval, saying the CCDRRMO has not yet submitted a “Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis” report on the calamity.

With this, the council requested the CCDRRMO to submit immediately the individual assessment of each barangay which was declared under a state of calamity and the cost of damage.

The council also requested the same office and the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) to give them a cost estimate of each barangay for whatever repair or damages that should be taken into consideration.  – JMD (FREEMAN)