Leyte guv wades through flooded villages to distribute relief goods, meds, other aid

By Provincial Media Relations Center
January 27, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY –  As continuous rains inundated the province over the week, Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla recently visited barangays in San Miguel town – one of Leyte towns badly hit by the continuous rains.

The governor, who waded through the flooded villages to personally distribute relief goods and medicines to Brgys. Capilihan, Kinalumsan and Impo, has ordered the full activation of the respective barangay disaster coordinating council to prepare against more rains that is expected to come in the coming months.

Foremost of which, the governor advised, is for a ready rescue and evacuation plan in case the water would rise higher and endanger lives of their residents.

The most affected by the recent rains among the barangays recently visited is Brgy. Impo which has all of the houses of its 120 families flooded in waist-high waters. The whole of Brgy. Impo itself is flooded in water that usually subsides after four days of no rain.

However, according to Brgy. Impo Chairman Lino Caubalejo the water has thus remained at its waist-high level as rain did not seem to abate over the week.

Aside from activating their barangay disaster coordinating councils, the governor also assured the provision of a rescue water vehicle for faster evacuation of residents if the water level continues to go up.

Talks of relocating the residents were also opened, however, the village folks refuse to abandon their homes saying they could not leave behind their source of livelihood.

“My advice is for them to relocate since we really cannot tell the weather these days. Just when we thought the rain would stop and the flooding would subside, it would be raining for days again,” Gov. Petilla.

Most of the families are rice farmers whose rice farms were also affected by continuous heavy rains since January started.

The governor has likewise assured supply of rice seeds to the farmers from these three barangays but advised for the seeds to be planted if the weather could at least settle down.

Earlier, the Department of Agriculture in the region estimated the affected ricelands in Leyte province t be about 2, 979.60 hectares.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Leyte has likewise declared during their first “sesyon sa bayan” a state of calamity as a result of the continuous rains that has affected the entire province damaging mainly agricultural crops.

The resolution was authored by Leyte First District Board Member Roque Tiu following a request by Gov.Petilla after considering the extent of damage caused by the continuous heavy rains that affected the province.