Agusan del Sur floods left 3 dead, thousands of
families affected
By David M. Suyao
PATIN-AY, Prosperidad, Agusan de Sur, Jan. 14
(PIA) - Three persons died while some 22,600 families were affected by the
recent floods that hit the entire province due to continuous rains caused by
the low pressure area (LPA) since Thursday, January 9 until Monday, January 13,
2014.
Died by drowning were Melito Gortina, 19 years
old from Lucena, Prosperidad; Loreto Sabatin, 43 years old from Magsaysay,
Prosperidad and Arian Alpeche Malayag, 1 year; and 9 months old from
Taglatawan, Bayugan City, according to a report from the Provincial Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) here.
As of 6:00 AM today, PDRRMC thru Action Officer
Roberto Natividad reported that some 22,611 families or 122,641 persons were
affected, and 5,352 families or 18,101 persons evacuated in designated
evacuation centers while others stay with their neighbors and relatives.
Most number of affected persons are the
municipality of Prosperidad with 5,115 families or 42,115 persons from 15
barangays, followed by Trento with 6,160 families or 30,184 families from 16
barangays, then Bunawan with 5,589 families or 23,954 persons. Least affected
municipality is Sibagat with only ten families or 29 persons from one barangay.
The rest of the six municipalities and Bayugan
City who submitted their reports to PDRRMC are Rosario with 2,050 families or
10,129 persons from nine barangays affected; Veruela with 529 families or 2,028
persons from five barangays; Sta. Josefa with 186 families or 930 persons from
11 barangays; San Francisco with 1,469 families or 5,899 persons from 27 barangays;
San Luis with 92 families or 368 persons from four barangays and Esperanza with
1,099 families or 5,505 persons from 12 barangays.
The municipality of Trento has the highest
number of partially damaged houses reaching to 28, followed by Prosperidad with
four and Bayugan City with only one.
On crops, partial report states newly planted
rice fields totaling to 1,996 hectares in Veruela, Bunawan and Trento were
affected.
Since the start of the calamity until 6:00 AM
today, Bunawan, Sibagat and Veruela have distributed food relief assistance
such as rice, sardines, noodles to their affected constituents.
Search and Rescue Agusan del Sur (SARAS) teams
with PNP and army are still on standby at the SARAS headquarters ready to
respond to any emergency call. (DMS/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
LPA displaces 3,491 families in Surigao Sur
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
SURIGAO DEL SUR, Jan. 14 (PIA) - Around 3,491
families were displaced by floodwaters in the entire province as Mindanao was
hit by continuous rains brought about by the low pressure area (LPA), the
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said on
Tuesday.
PDRRMO Supervising Specialist Abel de Guzman
bared that the affected families were from the towns of San Agustin, San Miguel,
Cagwait, Lanuza, Bayabas, Carrascal and Madrid while power lines in San Miguel
town are not yet restored.
"The figure on the displaced and affected
families are expected to rise since other local DRRMOs are still consolidating
their reports," said de Guzman.
Meanwhile, PDRRMO also said that some 30 houses
were washed out due to flashfloods in Barangay Pagtilaan, three houses were
totally damaged due to landslide in Barangay San Roque, one house was damaged
due to the uprooted coconut tree in Barangay Poblacion, all in the municipality
of Lingig while three houses were washed out due to flashfloods in Barangay
Buhisan in San Agustin town. (NGBT/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
FESAGS urges firearm owners to secure license
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 14 (PIA) – P/Supt Excelso
Lafuerte Lazaga, Jr., chief of the Firearms Explosives Security Agencies and
Guard Supervision (FESAGS) Caraga emphasized the advice for the licensing of
firearms among its owners during an interview over PIA Caraga’s Power FM.
“As part of our main function to supervise all
firerms and explosives covered by our areas of responsibility. We are in strict
monitoring of the firearms of our registered holders especially with our
program dubbed as “Oplan Katok”, where we visit the residence of gun owners and
check their firearms and license, and urge them to renew if their license is
due to expire or when it lapse the valid date,” Lazaga said.
When asked about the status of the security
agencies operating in Caraga region, he bared that of the more than 100
security agencies operating in the region, many are well-performing except for
those few which are facing cases due to non-conformance with the standard and
some do not give due salary to its security personnel.
Their office is also continuously conducting
enhancement training to security guards to capacitate them.
“Last November 13, 2013, we conducted a Shooting
Orientation in partnership with security agencies with the use of 38 caliber
firearm,” he mentioned.
He further stessed that security agencies should
give its personnel a salary of not less than P10,000. “In coordination with
DOLE and other concerned agencies, we monitor the security agencies’
implementation of the salary standardization for their employees. If found to
have violations, the agency will face the corresponding penalty, and to the
extent of license revocation,” he added.
Their office is situated inside the Camp rafael
Rodriguez in Brgy. Libertad, Butuan City. FESAGS has also an office in every
provincial police station with presonnel incharge for renewal services.
“Those who want to renew their firearms can just
visit to the nearest provincial police station or to our regional office,” he
said.
New applicants are encouraged to apply at the
Camp Crame in Quezon City. Among the pertinents requirements for firearm
registration are police clearance, result of psychiatrist test, and gun testing
seminar.
Applicants may contact at (085) 341-1624 for any
concerns regarding firearm registration. (JPG/VLG/PIA-Caraga)
Surigao City PNP launches “Hataw Na” Program
By Darryl P. Pinabacdao
SURIGAO CITY, Jan 14 (PIA) – The Philippine
National Police (PNP) here has launched a program dubbed “Hataw Na” by
conducting various physical fitness activities held at the Surigao City Police
Station, this city.
The main objective of the program is to promote,
maintain fitness and love for sports among members of the PNP while instilling
discipline among them.
The said program started with stretching, warm
up exercises and performed various physical fitness activities.
The event was headed by Police Chief Inspector
Rudy Elandag, Police Senior Inspector Renato Badajos and Police Inspector
Tessiel Moleta together with personnel of Surigao City Police Station.
(DPP/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Surigao City PNP rescues 382 families
By Darryl P. Pinabacdao
SURIGAO CITY, Jan 14 (PIA) – The Philippine
National Police (PNP) Search and Rescue team has rescued 382 families or 1,869
individuals who were affected by heavy rains brought by the low pressure area
(LPA) in the city.
The operation was led by PNP Surigao City chief
PCI Rudy Elandag with PSI Renato Badajos and PI Tessiel Moleta, some PNP
Surigao City personnel and the Surigao del Norte Provincial Public Safety
Company team headed by PI Garry Gamutan.
The affected families were transferred to the
different evacuation centers of the city.
The rescue unit roamed around and instructed the
community people living in low-lying and landslide prone areas such as Barangay
San Juan, Taft, Luna, Washington and upper Bonotan area to evacuate, it was
learned.
The team also carried inflatable boats, which
can be rowed or pulled into position to recover members of the public stranded
in flooded location and bring them safely to evacuation centers.
(DPP/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
Agusan Norte solon seeks PAGASA modernization
QUEZON CITY, Jan. 14 (PIA) - Agusan
del Norte First District representative Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun has
co-authored a substitute bill that will modernize the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) otherwise
known as the “PAGASA Modernization Act of 2013.”
Previously, an earlier version of
the bill was filed July last year. During the committee deliberations, the
solon from Butuan City and Las Nieves introduced vital amendments to the
original bill which were considered and paved the way for the introduction of a
substitute bill. The bill is set to come out through a committee report in the
plenary once Congress resumes session. It also incorporates the important
provisions introduced by Fortun during the committee level discussion.
The said legislation affirms
PAGASA’s critical role as the government’s primary agency tasked to monitor and
report weather conditions to the public.
PAGASA also takes a very crucial
role in conveying precise weather information that forms part and parcel of
disaster preparedness and risk management for the government. “Damage can be
prevented and lives can be saved if we are scientifically informed and
appropriately prepared,” the explanatory note of the bill aptly stated.
Because of this critical role, it is
pertinent “to elevate its technological and operational capacity to effectively
and efficiently perform its mandate.”
Among the objectives of the bill
are, a) To upgrade physical resources and operational techniques through the
acquisition of state-of-the-art instruments, equipment, and facilities to
enhance current capabilities in providing timely and reliable forecasting,
warning services for the general public and information for agriculture,
transportation and other industries across the country, b) To raise the salary
and compensation of the officers and employees of PAGASA to make their pay
competitive in the global market, c) To raise the research and development
capability and human resource development, adopting a rationalized and
integrated approach with focus on improvement of operations for specialized
services and cost recovery, d) To develop mechanisms for integrating disaster
management and socioeconomic development planning at the national and local
levels, e) To establish regional weather service centres in strategic
areas in the country to broaden the agencies base for delivery of service to
the countryside, f) To cultivate greater awareness by the public of weather
systems, the progress of typhoons, climatic changes and other related
information through the educational projects and programs, and g) To develop a
technology-based and financially self-sufficient data center which will serve
as the central information station for real-time weather updates available to
every individual and for the Philippines’ typhoon preparedness plan.
The house bill finds impetus with
the experiences of the country being located in a typhoon belt and
‘ocean-encircling belt of active volcanoes and earthquake generators.’ Just
late last year, regions of central Philippines have experienced the havoc of
one of the world’s strongest typhoon. “We have seen the most damaging
calamities that hit our country with super typhoon Yolanda and the strong
earthquake which devastated the Visayas region and left thousands dead and
millions of pesos in damages. With these occurrences, I really see the need to
modernize PAGASA for them to give timely and accurate forecasting so as to make
us more prepared when calamities hit,” Fortun said in co-sponsoring the bill.
(LAWig/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
