“For the first time,” the governor said, “a tornado or a violent wind storm brought logs and water; it spun around very fast causing the natural water holding to overflow.”
By JOHN RIZLE L. SALIGUMBA
Davao Today
NEW BATAAN, Compostela Valley, Philippines — The province is now put under the state of calamity a day after Typhoon Pablo (International name: Bopho) wrecked thousands of houses and infrastructures, bogged down electricity and communication lines, destroyed agricultural lands and killed hundreds of individuals.
“Pait ang kahimtang,” Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy told davaotoday.com, as he lamented that already 90 individuals are dead in New Bataan alone. “A total of 200 (dead) in the whole province,” he said.
Pablo, according to Uy, already caused an estimated PHP 4 billion cost of damage in agriculture and infrastructure in the whole province.
“For the first time,” the governor said, “a tornado or a violent wind storm brought logs and water; it spun around very fast causing the natural water holding to overflow. ”
As of 5 PM Wednesday, data from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council noted 224 injured individuals while 370 individuals are still missing, including Julindo Adang, a pastor.
According to Rosendo Pin, a pastor of Camacop, he was with Adang and 49 other pastors and children at the local resort Bamboo Falls on Tuesday for their early Christmas Party. But Islao Amper, a resident and evacuee from Andap village, told them of the tragedy and advised them to immediately evacuate to a higher place towards the Pagsilaan Elementary School.
Upon their evacuation, Pin said, they crossed a bridge with their Elf truck and pick-up sans Adang who refused to go onboard.
He said a truck owned by the resort was swept away when flood waters destroyed the bridge.
Search and rescue
Some 16 villages in New Bataan were affected with 2,916 evacuees.
Jocelyn Manriquez, a resident of Phase 1 in Andap village, lost five members of her family because of Pablo.
Three-year old Geean Tabaleja was rescued at 4 PM Wednesday by townsfolk in Purok 17, Poblacion village. She was handed over to the search and rescue team.
Two other male victims were also rescued about an hour after in the same sub-village.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, who arrived Wednesday, said “the priority task right now is relief operations.”
Asked if there was a lack of preparation on the part of the local government, Roxas said, “Di natin masasabi. Pinaghandaan naman pero nagkulang sa contingency like natural water holdings na nag collapse.” (John Rizle L. Saligumba/davaotoday.com)
