More than 2,000 families from at least 32 barangays in Puerto Princesa were brought to evacuation centers by rescue personnel from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) after their areas were submerged in up to half-knee-high floods due to heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon, which was enhanced by Tropical Storm Ferdie last weekend.
Reporting during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Monday, September 16, CDRRMO head Earl Timbancaya said that as of their latest assessment at 10 a.m. today, a total of 2,095 families, or 7,544 persons, had been evacuated.
Barangays most affected, with the highest number of evacuees, include Langogan with 743 families (2,680 persons), Lucbuan with 177 families (567 persons), Maoyon with 168 families (604 persons), Concepcion with 135 families (409 persons), and Tanabag with 143 families (489 persons).
Timbancaya also stated that most of the roads submerged in floods are now cleared and accessible to all types of vehicles, except for one in Sitio Iraan, Barangay Langogan, which remains impassable due to a damaged culvert.
When asked if the CDRRMO would recommend declaring a state of calamity, Timbancaya noted that it is not yet applicable at the moment, as a final assessment is still needed.
“Based on the initial assessment, the damages have not yet met the parameters for the declaration of a state of calamity. We need to have a final assessment of all sectors, and once consolidated, we will check if the parameters are met. That would be the basis for the declaration of a state of calamity,” he told members of the city council.
Meanwhile, City Information Officer Richard Ligad said Mayor Lucilo Bayron has instructed the concerned agencies to ensure that all the needs of the evacuees are being met.
“The mayor called for a meeting first thing this morning, where he asked for a briefing from the CDRRMO, City Social Welfare and Development, and City Engineering Office on the assessment of the situation,” Ligad said.
