Sunday, August 26, 2012

Pampanga under state of calamity

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga August 26, 2012-The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Pampanga on Wednesday has declared the province under state of calamity due to the inundation of several towns and villages brought by Southwest monsoon and floodwaters from the major river
channels and tributaries.

This came upon the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) who made a rapid assessment on the damages on high value crops, agriculture, fisheries and the affected families and individuals.

With the declaration, Governor Lilia Pineda has ordered the immediate and pre-emptive evacuation and rescue operation to affected families in all municipalities with the assistance of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines and the concerned local
officials.

The governor has assured that the provincial government is closely monitoring the situation on a 24/7 basis and she added that the provincial government is ready to provide augmentation to affected municipalities and cities.

She also alerted medical personnel and converted all the 11 district hospitals in the province as action centers for health related diseases and made sure that supplies of medicines are available.

Based on the monitoring of the PDRRMC, the affected families came from 215 barangays from the 19 municipalities and two cities due to rising flood water ranging from one to five feet causing major roads impassable to light vehicles.

“This is enough to paralyze the economic activities in the said affected municipalities," PDRRMC said.

The affected municipalities and cities are as follows: City of San Fernando, Mabalacat City, Magalang, Guagua, Lubao, Floridablanca, Porac, Sasmuan, Sta. Rita, Arayat, Bacolor, Mexico, Sta. Ana, Apalit,Candaba, Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, San Simon and Sto. Tomas.

In Floridablanca, the barangays of San Antonio, Maligaya, Portuna, Cadangcalan, Sta. Monica and San Pedro are under 2 to 4 feet floodwater.

In Sasmuan, the villages of Sta Monica, San Antonio, San Pedro, Sto. Tomas and Sta. Cruz.

In Sta. Rita, two to three feet floodwater submerged the villages of San Matias, San Basilio, San Jose, San Juan. San Agustin, Sta. Monica, Becuran and Dila-Dila.

The Porac-Guagua-Dila Dila is not passable to light vehicles due to knee deep floodwater.

In Porac, the barangays of Balubad is now experiencing 2 to 3 feet floodwater while a landslide occurred at Barangay Jalung and Babo Sacan. A barangay Health Worker was injured.

In the City of San Fernando, three barangays submerged into 2 to 3 feet floods. The Jose Abad Santos Avenue in the portion of San Fernando Junction is no passable to vehicles due to flashfloods.

In Sta. Ana, one foot floodwaters inundated 14 barangays as follows: San Agustin, San Bartolome, Sa Isidro, San Joaquin, San Jose, San Juan, San Nicolas, San Pablo, San Pedro, San Roque, Santiago, Sta Lucia and Sta. Maria and Sto. Rosario.

In Apalit town, three barangays were submerged into 2.5 deep floodwater such as Batasan, Capalangan, Sucad (Purok 3), San Vicente (Bagong Pag-asa).

The Pampanga River has spilled over inundating Barangays Capalangan and Sulipan.

In Candaba, the barangays of San Agustin, Sitio Dukma in Paralaya, Pescadores, Bambang, Pasig are now inundated by floodwaters.

In Macabebe town, 25 villages are under floodwater such as Castuli, Mataguiti, Saplad David, Tacasan, Caduang Tete, Sta. Maria, San Gabriel, Sta. Rita, Telacsan, Candelaria, Batasan, Sto. Nino, San Isidro, San Roque, Sto. Rosario, San Juan, San Rafael, Sta. Cruz, Sta.
Lutgarda, San Francisco, San Vicente, Consuelo, Dalayap and San Esteban.

Nine families or 34 individuals were evacuated in Macabebe Central School.

In Minalin, 7 barangays are under flood water as follows: San Isidro, Lourdes, Sta. Maria, Sto. Domingo, San Nicolas, Dawe and Maniago with two feet floodwater.

In San Simon, 13 barangays were inundated such as Dela Paz, San Pedro, Sta. Cruz, San Isidro, San Juan, San Pablo (Proper), Sto. Nino, San Agustin, San Jose, Sta. Monica, San Pablo Libutad, San Nicolas and San Miguel with 1 to 3.5 floodwater affecting 800 families or 2,657
individuals.

In Arayat, the barangays of San Agustin, San Jose Mesulo and Cupang are under 3 to 4 feet floodwater affecting 180 families.


In Sto. Tomas, 7 barangays were inundated by to 2.6 feet floodwaters, namely: San Matias, Moras Dela Paz, Sto. Rosario, San Bartolome, Poblacion, Sto. Nino and San Vicente.

In Guagua town, 31 barangays such as Plaza Burgoz, Bancal, San Bancal, San Roque, Sta. Filomena, San Pedro, Sto. Cristo, Santo Nino, San Nicolas 1st, San Rafael (duck island), San Juan 1st, San Pablo, San Isidro, San Antonio, San Jose, San Matias, San Juan Bautista, San Juan
Nepomuceno, San Nicolas 2nd, San Miguel (Betis), Sta. Inez, Sta. Ursula, San Agustin, Jose Abad Santos, Lambac, Magsaysay, Maquiapo, Natividad, Rizal, Pulung Masle, San Vicente (Ebus) and Ascomo.

In Barangay Lambac, Guagua, some 100 families or 500 individuals are staying at the Barangay Hall and Osca building.


In the coastal town of Masantol, 26 villages such as Alauli, Bagang, Balibago, Bebe Anac, Bebe Matua, Bulacus, Cambasi, Malauli, Nigui, Paguiaba, Palimpe, Puti, Sagrada, San Agustin, San Isidro Matua, San Isidro Anac, San Nicolas, San Pedro, Sapang Cuayan, Sta. Cruz, Sta.
Lucia Wakas, Sta. Lucia Matua, Sta. Monica, Sto Nino and Sua. These villages were submerged into 3 to 5 feet floodwaters affecting 4433 families or 20,903 individuals.

In Bacolor, some 56 familiess were affected by 3 feet flood waters affecting the villages of Mesalipit (Babo), Cabalantian and Talba.


Twenty-one families or 88 individuals are staying at Mesalipit Tent near the barangay hall.

In Lubao, twenty-nine barangays are affected with 2 to 4 feet floodwaters affecting 4,433 families or 20,903 individuals in the villages of Balantacan, Bancal Pugad, Bancal Sinubli, Baruya,
Calangain, Concepcion, Lourdes, Prado Siongco, Remedios, San Agustin, San Francisco, San Juan, San Jose Gumi, San Nicolas I, San Nicolas 2, San Pedro Saug, San Roque Arbol, San Roque Dau 1, San Roque Dau II, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Catalina, Sta. Cruz, Sta Lucia, Sta. Maria, Sta.
Monica, Sta. Tereza I, Sta. Tereza II, Sto. Nino and Sto. Tomas. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu
with reports from Joel P. Mapiles- PIO Pampanga)

Guv wants immediate rehab breached portion of tail dike

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Aug 26, 2012-To ensure the speedy rehabilitation of the breached portion of the San Fernando-Sto.Tomas-Minalin tail dike, Governor Lilia Pineda said on
Wednesday that she will personally monitor the progress of the work done by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“This is not the time to be lax. Our constituents cannot wait. We need to make a regular progress report on the status of the tail dike”, Pineda said.

Sometime ago, two portions of the San Fernando tail dike collapsed during heavy rains brought by southwest monsoon that flooded all the seven barangays in Sto.Tomas, 14 in Minalin, and 20 in San Fernando.

“If not immediately repaired, water from Gugu River will continuously flow on the two breached portions of the dike leaving the said villages underwater.

This scenario prompted DPWH Region III Director Antonio Molano to start the rehabilitation of the dike and the rechanneling of the water flow from Maliwalu creek to Pasig-Portrero River while waiting for the P270 million requested funds from DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson for the restoration of water channels and tributaries in the province.

“The desilting and rechanneling of the 3.5 kilometer Gugu River from Maliwalu upstream started early this week," Molano said.

Molano explained that Gugu River needs to be diverted to Pasig-Potrero River to minimize water entry on the infringed tail dike in Sto.Tomas and San Fernando portion, this way, they can start the rehabilitation of the earth dike.

“We can only start repairing the breached dike once the water level subsided,” added Molano.

Meanwhile, Pineda is supervising the desilting and rechanneling of the water flow being carried out by the DPWH. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu with reports from Joel P. Mapiles, PIO Pampanga)

3 Central Luzon mayors join lady mayors group

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Aug 26, 2012-Three lady mayors from Central Luzon are now officers of the Lady Municipal Mayors Association of the Philippines (LMMAP).

The LMMAP is headed by its president, San Luis, Aurora Mayor Annabelle Tangson. The executive vice president is Mayor Lorna Silverio of San Rafael, Bulacan. Mayor Gene Malibiran-Dela Fuente of Samal, Bataan is the Deputy Secretary General.

Tangson said the LMMAP signed a memorandum of agreement with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for the conduct of a series of trainings on Human Rights for lady mayors.

After undergoing these seminars, these mayors will establish human rights action centers or human rights desks in their respective towns.


The centers will respond to violations brought before them by the more vulnerable sectors such as women, children, the disabled, the elderly and the poor.

These action centers will also conduct information and education campaigns in the barangays to ensure that the residents are aware of their rights.

The human rights seminars will also be held in September. (Rebecca Grace David)

3 Central Luzon provinces clear from red tide

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, August 26, 2012-Bulacan, Zambales and Bataan provinces remain free from paralytic shellfish poison or most commonly known as red tide.

“The coastal waters of Bulacan in Manila Bay; Masinloc Bay in Zambales; and coastal waters of Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Orani, Abucay and Samal in Bataan are now free of the toxic red tide,” the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Shellfish Bulletin dated August 17 reported.

BFAR said shellfish from the mentioned areas can now be gathered, harvested and sold in markets and are safe for human consumption.

Shellfishes collected at Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur; Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental; and coastal waters of Milagros in Masbate are still positive for paralytic shellfish poison that is beyond the regulatory limit.

All types of shellfish and Acetes ap or alamang from the areas mentioned are not safe for human consumption, BFAR said.

“Fish, squids, shrimps, and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” BFAR added. ( Joelyn G. Baluyut)

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