‘Usman’ strands thousands in ports, displaces families

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 28  -- At least 3,200 passengers have been stranded in various Eastern Visayas seaports as authorities suspended sea travel, while hundreds of families moved to safer grounds as Tropical Depression Usman dumped heavy rains Friday.

Based on reports received by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, "Usman" has prevented 12 ships from leaving ports, stranding 328 vehicles.

Stranded passengers are in the ports of Ormoc and Bato in Leyte; Maasin, Liloan, and San Ricardo in Southern Leyte; San Isidro and Allen in Northern Samar; and Calbayog in Samar.

Local government units readied 571 evacuation centers in six provinces to accommodate families from communities vulnerable to flooding and landslides.

Since Thursday, pre-emptive evacuation has been done in the town of Naval, Biliran; some parts of Eastern Samar; and Tacloban City.

In Naval town, 11 families have been evacuated to the gymnasium, where each family from danger zones took shelter in evacuation tents waiting for the weather to improve, Raymundo Espina, Naval municipal administrator said.

“Aside from evacuation tents, the local government also provided play spaces for children to relieve stress and help them relax while staying at the evacuation center,” Espina said.

The Philippine National Police has deployed 120 policemen for search and rescue operations, while 1,167 others were on standby.

The Department of Public Works and Highways reported that the road in Lope de Vega has been flooded. The highway links Calbayog City in Samar and Catarman, the capital town of Northern Samar.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 8 (Eastern Visayas) was ready to deliver prepositioned food packs to local government units if necessary.

The DSWD has a stockpile of relief items, both food and non-food, at the Regional Resource Operations Section, said Vina Aquino, DSWD-8 information officer, in a phone interview.

Currently, DSWD has 24,543 family food packs and additional food stock that includes 653 sacks of rice, 86,328 cans of corned beef, 126,496 cans of beef loaf, 2,140 cans of meatloaf, and 112,100 sachets of coffee.

Non-food relief items include 24,397 blankets, 594 mosquito nets, 14,914 malongs, 1,344 hygiene kits, 497 family kits, and 497 sleeping kits.

Aside from the food packs from the DSWD, some local government units have also prepared relief goods to be distributed among families affected by the weather disturbance. (RTA/PNA)

Flood warning raised in east Visayas due to ‘Usman’

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 28  -- The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued on Friday a flood warning over Eastern Visayas provinces as Tropical Depression Usman threatens to dump heavy rains.

In its flood advisory, Pagasa has identified several rivers in six provinces that would likely be affected by heavy downpour.

These water courses are in Sangputan, Palo, Solano, Daguitan, Marabong, Cadacan, Bongquirogon, Salug, Pagbanagaran, Pagsangahan, and Binahaan in Leyte; Catarman, Bugko, Pambujan, Catubig, Palapag, Mano, and Gamay in Northern Samar.

Other affected rivers are Oras, Dolores, Ulot, Taft, Borongan, Suribao, Llorento, Balangiga, and Sulat in Eastern Samar; Basey, Silaga, Calbiga and Jibatan in Samar; and Bisay, Himbangan, and Pandan in Southern Leyte; and all river systems in Biliran province.

People living in low-lying areas near these river systems are advised to be alert for possible flash floods. Those settled near mountain slopes are told to watch for signs of landslides.

The Leyte provincial disaster risk reduction and management has been on alert for potential overflow of Binahaan River in Pastrana town since it would affect highly-populated communities near the regional capital.

Binahaan watershed, which has its source in the upstream of Pastrana, flowing downstream to Dagami, Tanauan and Palo towns has been disrupting normal routines of 36,932 residents in Leyte during flooding, according to German Technical Cooperation Agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit.

In the region, public storm warning signal number one was hoisted since Thursday over Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Samar provinces.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has identified 2,433 villages in Region 8 as highly susceptible to flooding. The agency urged local governments to conduct appropriate preparedness and disaster risk reduction measures as needed.

As of Friday morning, the center of the tropical depression was estimated at 230 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 65 kph. It is moving west northwest at 10 kph. (SQM/PNA)

Group formed to check projects in rebel-infested areas

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 28  -- A technical working group (TWG) has been formed to find out concerns and recommend solutions on the delayed construction of government infrastructure projects in conflict-affected areas of Samar Island.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy, in a mobile phone interview on Friday, said the Regional Development Council (RDC) has already approved the resolution creating the TWG. The group will have its first meeting early next year.

Uy, the RDC vice chair, said the group is composed of officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), Philippine Army 8th Infantry Division, and concerned local government units.

“There is a need to create a group that will look into prevailing issues in the implementation of projects in conflict-affected areas, such as the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA), and identify recommended actions that have to be undertaken to avoid similar issues in the future,” Uy told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

PAMANA is the national government’s convergence program that extends development interventions to isolated, hard-to-reach and conflict-affected communities, ensuring that they are not left behind.

Early this month, the RDC has identified three terminated PAMANA infrastructure projects in Samar provinces funded under the 2016 budget of OPAPP.

These are the PHP71-million bridge construction in Motiong, Samar; PHP114.7-million box culvert construction in Las Navas, Northern Samar; and PHP192-million road construction also in Las Navas town.

Initially, the region’s highest policy-making body identified some major setbacks of project implementation such as threats from the New People’s Army, absence of access roads, subcontracting issues, unworkable ground conditions, and lack of manpower and equipment.

Top officials in Eastern Visayas have elevated to Cabinet secretaries the discussion on delayed and terminated infrastructure projects meant for impoverished and conflict-stricken areas on Samar Island.

The RDC’s discussions on delayed PAMANA projects have started in the second quarter of this year. Earlier, the body already passed two resolutions to help expedite the project and conduct problem solving sessions.

The council also passed a resolution endorsing the transfer of implementation of delayed PAMANA projects to the engineering brigade of the Philippine Army. The document also requested concerned agencies to expedite the execution of an agreement to facilitate the project construction turnover. (SQM/PNA)

Top cop asks men to be alert this holiday season

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 28 -- A top regional official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) here has asked his men to ensure their personal safety after the recent killing of two police officers in Leyte.

Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos said he does not want a repeat of what happened to the two policemen attacked by still unidentified assailants, especially because some cops are on conditional holiday break.

"Though we have not seen a pattern that these killings were planned attacks on the police force in the region, it is always ideal to be on the lookout for their personal safety, especially this holiday season,” Carlos told reporters Thursday night.

The regional police chief also suggested that police officers must not put a pattern on their activities as precautionary measures.

Carlos reiterated this reminder after a junior police officer was gunned down near the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in this city. The incident happened on December 23 while the victim was on his way home after his duty.

Two months ago, motorcycle-riding gunmen also attacked a police officer in Palo, Leyte.

Meanwhile, Carlos commended the entire police force in the region for the generally peaceful Christmas celebration and 50th anniversary of the New People’s Army last December 26.

Although some police officers are on conditional break, they were asked to report to the nearest police station on December 31 to augment the force for the New Year revelry.

“We hope the zero casualty and ‘no major incident’ during Christmas Day will be replicated this New Year,” he added. (SQM/PNA)

Council sees viability of Samar Island Medical Center

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 27 -- The Regional Development Council (RDC) has found the proposed PHP1.14-billion Samar Island Medical Center (SIMC) economically viable, citing “health benefits that exceeds the investment requirement”.

In a committee report, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the RDC’s secretariat, said there is a need for the project to be endorsed to the Department of Health (DOH) for future multi-year funding.

Ernesto Octaviano, NEDA Eastern Visayas chief economic development specialist, said in an interview Thursday that the hospital will incur negative cash flows during the first 10 years of providing services.

“However, if the provincial government of Samar will provide annual subsidy for 10 years, the medical center will be able to sustain its operation until it generates income starting 2028,” Octaviano said.

In an earlier interview, Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan said the local government is committed to support the hospital’s operation since the central government has already committed to put up some of the capital outlay requirements and additional health workers.

The first phase of the hospital's construction is now ongoing with the use of the PHP150 million initial funds downloaded by the health department to Samar province early this year.

As proposed, the existing Samar Provincial Hospital in Catbalogan City in Samar will be called SIMC. It will operate as level two health facility with a 300-bed capacity and will be supervised by the provincial government.

The provincial hospital, at present, can only accommodate 100 patients. It is currently the core referral hospital of 24 towns and two cities in Samar. The province has a population of about 800,000.

The RDC endorsed the project on Dec. 3, subject to consideration of the following recommendations: the hospital should remain as level 2 facility, DOH assistance should be part of the provincial investment plan for health, identify manpower resources, and back the provincial government subsidy with resolution by the provincial board.

Level 2 facility hospital has such facilities as intensive care units and specialist doctors for gynecology and pediatric services.

Octaviano said there is no assurance of fund allocation for the project from DOH in 2019 since the maximum amount for cash-based budgeting allowed by the budget department in one year ranges from PHP100 million to PHP150 million. It is lower than the proposed funding requirement for next year. (SQM/PNA)