Noy calls for action amid death, devastation in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - Now is the time for action and not for talking, as the country grapples with deaths and devastation left by super typhoon “Pablo” in many parts of Mindanao, President Aquino said yesterday.

The President made the call during his visit yesterday – along with Cabinet members – to New Bataan in Compostela Valley and to other parts of Davao province worst hit by Pablo.

“We must aim for zero casualty in situations like this. So this is not the time to talk, this is the time to act,” Aquino told survivors of the catastrophe.

The President also distributed P10,000 as well as relief packages to each of the affected families.

“Your government will not stop looking for ways to improve your lives and help you avoid this kind of tragedy,” he said.

The President said he wanted to know why the tragedy in Compostela Valley happened and how it could be avoided in the future. He said there is no letup in search and rescue operations.

Aquino arrived in Davao City at around 10 a.m. with Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, Health Secretary Enrique Ona, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Luwalhati Antonio and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang.

At around 11 a.m., Aquino arrived in New Bataan, Compostela Valley and at around noon, the President departed for Boston, Davao Oriental. He was accompanied by Roxas, Soliman, Paje, and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) chief Benito Ramos.

At around 2:30 p.m., the President’s return flight to Davao Airport was delayed because of inclement weather and the need for refueling. 

Soliman discussed plans to provide temporary shelter for families and to restore power to New Bataan and Cateel as ordered by the President.

“We are eyeing building bunk houses to help residents who lost their homes during typhoon Pablo. These bunk houses will be used as temporary dwelling places in disaster-hit areas after the typhoon destroyed most of the houses there,” Soliman said.

Soliman said the DSWD has already deployed generator sets and family tents to Davao Oriental.

Meanwhile, Roxas said they would provide more portable water treatment plants to the affected provinces to prevent outbreak of disease.

Search continues

Guided by trained K-9 dogs, local authorities continue their search for survivors possibly trapped in debris, including hundreds of logs washed down from the mountains at the height of Pablo.

Roxas said about 400 remained missing yesterday and that specialized dogs could help speed up the search for those unaccounted for particularly in Boston, Cateel and Baganga in Davao Oriental.

Roxas also said the Metro Manila Development Authority would provide portable water treatment plants.

“We are prioritizing water treatment plants to prevent the spread of diseases,” he said.

He said chainsaws were being sent to affected areas to help rescuers extricate possible survivors from under piles of logs.

He also said experts are updating geo-hazard mapping.

“Now it’s time to figure all these things out. We’ll get the experts to find out and assess the declared geo-hazards location,” he said. “We will try to find out how houses had sprouted in these areas.”

Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr., spokesman for the Philippine National Police (PNP), said they would also send K-9 dogs to help in the search and rescue efforts.

“When directed to send K-9, we will do so, the PNP has been actively supporting effort to mitigate effects of disaster,” Cerbo  said. “The PNP has been actively providing warm bodies, our personnel for search and rescue and accounting for missing persons.”

P1.4 M from House

The House of Representatives, for its part, is raising at least P1.4 million for victims of typhoon Pablo.

The chamber has approved Resolution 2938 urging voluntary contributions from its members to help the victims.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., principal author of the resolution, said he has asked his colleagues to contribute a minimum of P5,000. Minimum contributions from 287 members will amount to P1.435 million.

“Despite efforts of local government units to mitigate the potential damage, rescue and relief operations have been unable to address the immediate needs of our affected countrymen. Recognizing their need for aid and relief during this difficult time, the House of Representatives hereby extends financial assistance to the victims of this calamity,” the resolution read.

Among its other authors are Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, Roilo Golez of Parañaque, Karlo Nograles of Davao City, Edcel Lagman of Albay, and Florencio Noel of An Waray.

Gonzales said the contributions would be turned over to the representatives of the districts affected by the typhoon.

Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño, for his part, is pressing for the approval of Bill 6660 which seeks to require mobile phone companies to provide free text alerts to citizens in calamity-stricken areas.

Casiño said his bill, if enacted, would strengthen the government’s early warning system during calamities. 

P883-M infra damaged

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Pablo destroyed more than P883-million worth of infrastructure, based on initial findings.

Public Works Undersecretary for Regional Operations Romeo Momo said that they are still assessing the condition of all the roads and bridges in the provinces affected by the super typhoon. He said Davao, so far, appeared to incur the biggest loss in infrastructure at P530.6 million.

Caraga (Region 13) reported infrastructure losses of P228 million, Northern Mindanao or Region 10 (P98 million), and Central Visayas or Region 7 (P26.55 million). 

Momo said Pablo’s devastation was among the worst that he had witnessed in his 35 years in DPWH.

“This is one of the worst devastating effects of a typhoon that I have seen. It is really depressing to see the destruction,” he said.

He added that in some areas, not a single house was left standing. 

The DPWH official also said that the national roads leading to the three worst devastated municipalities in Davao Oriental province have been cleared of debris, mostly consisting of fallen coconut trees and electric posts.

“While there are still posts and coconut trees that obstruct the roads, our men in the field have managed to remove some of them. In some areas, only one lane is passable because we could not immediately remove the thousands of coconut trees that have fallen. There are too many of them. We just want to make sure that vehicles could pass through, especially those that carry relief goods to the municipalities of Boston, Cateel and Baganga,” Momo said.

He added that clearing of roads leading to Compostela Valley is still ongoing. He said the clearing job is expected to be completed over the weekend.

Among the infrastructure heavily damaged was the Governor Teodoro Palma Gil Bridge in the municipality of Caraga in Davao Oriental.

The DPWH official said repair on the bridge is expected to take a while.

Around 60 to 70 lineal meters of the 225-linear meter bridge collapsed at the height of the super typhoon. A bailey panel is being readied to temporarily connect the intact portions of the bridge, Momo said. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jess Diaz, Evelyn Macairan, Helen Flores, Edith Regalado