Aquino declares state of national calamity

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (3rd update, 12 p.m.) — President Benigno Aquino III declared Tuesday a state of national calamity in the wake of Tropical Storm Sendong (international codename: Washi).
Aquino visited flood victims in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City to personally oversee the ongoing relief efforts by the government and assess the damage brought about by Sendong.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in its 6 a.m. Tuesday report said 957 were dead, 1,582 were injured and 49 others remain missing due to Sendong.
Cagayan de Oro City’s 25 barangays and 21 barangays from Iligan City were the hardest hit by the storm.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told ANC Tuesday that the state of national calamity is necessary because the supplies in areas badly affected by Sendong are running low.
Valte said with the declaration, price control is automatically implemented in the affected areas for 60 days unless lifted. The price freeze covers basic necessities.
She added the flood victims can already avail themselves of no-interest loans as long as state of national calamity is in effect. She added the Social Security System has funds for this.
Aquino was criticized for not immediately visiting flood-stricken areas in Northern Mindanao despite hundreds of casualties and millions worth of damage.
His spokespersons, however, explained that the President wanted to visit Mindanao as early as Sunday but he was advised by the Presidential Security Group as well as the Department of National Defense to reschedule his trip due to bad weather.
Upon his arrival at the airport, the President immediately presided over a press briefing with Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano and other local officials.
NDRRMC Executive Director Benito Ramos updated the President on the ongoing relief and retrieval efforts by the national and local government.
Funds
At the briefing, the President said the government will allocate P150 million for the automatic water level sensors in 18 major river basins that will give an early warning to people living in areas near the river.
Another P150 million will also be allocated for the rehabilitation of roads and bridges damaged by the storm, Aquino added.
“We would like to assure you that we are going to fine-tune all of the systems in place so that we can prevent this tragedy from ever happening,” he said.
He said there will be a fact-finding body that will study the existing systems that will have to be augmented to prevent a repeat of the disaster.
The government has a P1.17-billion calamity fund on standby to attend to the needs of the people in flood-stricken areas.
Another priority of the President is the relocation of families living in areas near river particularly the Isla de Oro.
Isla de Oro is an islet at the mouth of Cagayan River, which is densely populated by informal settlers who were swept away by flashfloods during the onslaught of Sendong.
The briefing was attended by Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, and Health Secretary Enrique Ona, among others.
House Speaker Sonny Belmonte also joined the President.
Water shortage
Meanwhile, residents of Cagayan de Oro City, which is now under state of calamity, has been suffering from water shortage.
Major water facilities of the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) were damaged by the flash flood brought by Sendong. The water district supplies 50 percent of the water needs of the city.
Another 30 percent of the city’s water needs is provided by bulk delivery, but this has been suspended. All in all, the city has lost 80 percent of its potable water supply system.
Water hydrants are being used at the moment, but this will not last long. Bottled water in stores is also running out.
The appeal for those who have the means to bring in relief goods is to prioritize clean, drinking water.
The COWD said it will take at least a month to repair damages.
The President also ordered local officials and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to assist the local water district in finding ways to be able to restore water supply as soon as possible.
Aquino said the government has allocated P30 million for the pumping station.
In a special session on Monday, the Cagayan de Oro City Council passed and approved a resolution inviting officials of COWD, Department of Trade and Industries, Department of Social Welfare and Development and other concerned agencies to give updates on the status of water supply and prices of commodities, among others.
The flag at the Cagayan de Oro City Hall has been put in half-mast in sympathy to those who died in the incident.
Mass burial
Meanwhile, a mass burial in Iligan City will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Television report said those bodies who were already identified will be buried first.
Iligan Mayor Lawrence Cruz earlier suggested a mass burial because of health concerns. Apart from the decomposing bodies, dead livestock lie scattered in the mud.
The proposed mass burial was opposed by the Department of Health (DOH), saying unclaimed corpses pose no health risks.
Among the diseases commonly associated with dead bodies include Hepatitis A, B, and C, salmonella, cholera, and rotavirus diarrhea.
DOH National Epidemiology Center Director Dr. Eric Tayag said that individual burials are better because it will help relatives to “move forward” from the sudden death of their loved ones.
Local officials have been forced to propose mass burials after funeral homes have been unable to process newly recovered corpses.(Jill Beltran/Sunnex)
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2011/12/20/aquino-declares-state-national-calamity-196728

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