(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 27 March 2024) Easterlies affecting the eastern section of the country. Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Easterlies / Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.


PIA News Service - Thursday, December 22, 2011

Affected families of TS “Sendong” is now 92,964, NDRRMC reported

by Robert E. Roperos

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Dec. 22 (PIA)
–- Following the flashfloods that hit the country last week, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported today that the number of affected families now reached to 92,964 or an equivalent to 641,098 persons.

As of 6:00 a.m. today, NDRRMC reported that 739 barangays, 50 municipalities, 8 cities in the 13 provinces of Regions VI, VII, IX, X, XI, Caraga and ARMM are among the areas that are greatly affected due to massive flashfloods caused by tropical storm “Sendong”.

The report also revealed that there are 58,849 families or 309,669 persons are currently served inside and outside the evacuation centers. The 51 evacuation centers house some 9,929 families or 43,633 persons, while 48,920 families or 266,006 persons are served outside the evacuation centers.

NDRRMC also reported that there are 1,010 persons dead; 1,603 persons injured; 51 missing; and 432 rescued/survivors.

Also, a total of 28,030 houses were damaged for which, 9,193 are totally damaged and 18,873 partially damaged. The estimated cost of damages to infrastructure, agriculture and school buildings now reached P999,946,415, the NDRRMC reported.

In Agusan del Sur, four schools were damaged. Two classrooms of Gomburza Elementary School were damaged as well as the roofing, windows, and walls. Also reported damaged are the two classrooms of Sta. Cruz Elementary School, and two classrooms of Sta. Irene Elementary School.

Meanwhile, two classrooms of D. Osmeña Elementary School were ripped apart while four classrooms of Lapinigan Central Elementary School were also damaged. The Bunawan Brookside School’s four classrooms were also reported damaged.

In Cagayan de Oro City (Region X), four schools namely Consolacion Elementary School, Angeles Sisters National High School; Balulang West 1 Elementary School and Bonbon North 2 Elementary School were totally submerged with more or less 5 ft floodwater level.

Also reported damaged are infrastructure buildings of Sambolawan Elementary School, Dilabayan Elementry School and Riric Elementary School in Taraka, Batangan Central Elementary School, Rogero Elementary School, and Alambas Elementary School in Bubong II, all in Lanao del Norte of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), while 12 schools and 136 classrooms were also reported damaged in the Iligan City Division.

NDRRMC also said three bridges and three road sections in Regions VII, X and XI remain impassable as of press time. (PIA-Caraga)

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City officials urged Butuanons to help flashflood victims

by Robert E. Roperos

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Dec. 22 (PIA)
-– Butuan City government, through Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr. and Vice-Mayor Lawrence Lemuel Fortun, called on Butuanons to help flashflood victims here and in Iligan City.

In a text message sent to PIA-Caraga Regional Director and concurrent Head of PIA Northern and Northeastern Mindanao Abner Caga, the officials reiterated their call to the constituents of Butuan City to extend assistance to the victims of the neighboring cities Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

The officials said the city government will be collecting slightly-used clothings, food items, blankets, and anything of valuable use for the flashflood victims in the two cities in Northern Mindanao.

They added the collection point will be at the Butuan City Hall starting Thursday, Dec. 22. “So please start bringing items so we can send them by Wednesday next week,” the officials said.

Amante and Fortun also enjoined the private and public offices in Butuan City to do the same.

The officials further stressed canned food items are better than those that are easily get spoiled. “Cash donations are also accepted,” they added.

Meanwhile, Amante has deployed the Butuan Search and Rescue Team (BuSART) here to help in the on-going search and retrieval operations.

In a related development, four dumptrucks loaded with dry goods and used clothings were sent by the city government of Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte. The local government unit through Vice Mayor Harris Glenn Puyot also handed-in cash donation to the city government here. (PIA-Caraga)

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PIA-6 employees extends financial aid to PIA-10 employees flashflood victims

by Robert E. Roperos

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Dec. 22 (PIA)
–- Employees from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Region VI through Regional Director, Atty. Janet Mesa extended financial assistance to employees of PIA Region X who are among the victims of flashflood that recently hit Northern Mindanao due to typhoon “Sendong”.

According to Dir. Abner M. Caga, Northeastern Mindanao Information Cluster Head and concurrent Regional Director of PIA-Caraga and Northern Mindanao, Mesa called and informed him that employees of PIA-VI unanimously decided to give financial assistance to affected employees of PIA Northern Mindanao who were victims of flashflood, whose houses were now covered by mud.

Caga added the move of PIA VI employees is commendable considering that they feel the burden experienced by victims of the deadly and destructive flashflood in Northern Mindanao.

“What the employees of PIA Region VI did showed that they have that golden hearts who feel for the victims of the flashflood,” Caga said.

On Wednesday evening, the financial assistance was officially handed to the victims at the Regional Office of PIA Northern Mindanao, this city, witnessed by PIA Central Office personnel headed by Staff Director Nilo Mamaclay of the Regional Operations Division and employees of PIA Caraga who were deployed here to augment the personnel complement of PIA Northern Mindanao in time with the visit of President Benigno S. Aquino III here and in Iligan City on Tuesday. (PIA-Caraga)

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CDRRM Bislig reported more than 6M on infra damage after Sendong devastated the city

by Nida Grace B. Tranquilan

BISLIG CITY, December 22 (PIA)
-- Estimated damages for infrastructure and equipment in Bislig City reached P6,137,400 after the Topical “Sendong” devastated the City, according to the report received from the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management (CDRRM) Office.

In a phone patch interview with City Administrator Cha Lerog, he said all barangays was affected by the typhoon due to strong winds with rainshowers in the area.

As of today, the city government under Mayor Librado Navarro is conducting relief distribution to the affected families in different barangays. (PIA-Surigao del Sur)

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DOH-CHD Caraga rates No. 1 in performance in the country

by Noel B. Najarro

BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 22 (PIA)
-- The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Caraga regional office bested the other 16 regional offices in the implementation of DOH’s program and projects implementation this year.

This was disclosed by DOH-CHD Caraga regional director Leonita P. Gorgolon, in a recently held press conference in her office. Gorgolon said their office bagged the P2-million peso prize as this year’s top performer.

The criteria for choosing this year’s top national performing region includes: the dissemination of their national office health and program advocacy; the enabling of their staff as well as the local government unit health workers, and the thorough and proper documentations of their programs, projects, and activities.

The documentation, she said, is the most critical phase of the evaluation as their Manila office did not base their ratings only on written reports. Their national office really validated what was contained in the reports.

And as it came out, Caraga was rated as the number one in performance over 16 other regions (except ARMM).



With this achievement, the regional director thanked the local media as well as the local government units in the region for being their partner in achieving such accomplishment.

The DOH-CHD Caraga will also hold their annual giving of recognition and awards to the local governments, the provincial and municipal health units as well as the barangays who had contributed so much in this year’s health program thrust. (PIA-Caraga)

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70% of health facilities due for 2012 completion to be constructed early next year - DOH 13

by Noel B. Najarro

BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 22 (PIA)
- Sixty-five or 70 percent of the 80 health facilities scheduled for completion by 2012 will be started by January 2012.

This was announced by the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) in a recently held press conference.

According to DOH-CHD Caraga Regional Director Leonita P. Gorgolon, a “Grand Contract Signing” was done between the DOH and the 10 contractors who won the bidding.

Gorgolon said they called up proprietors of the winning bids to inform them that the DOH will constantly monitor the status, the development as well as the progress of the said projects and that the officials of the department will be in constant meeting with their project engineers.

Most of the projects due for completion by 2012 according to Gorgolon, are located mostly in the provinces. The projects are mostly upgrading of some existing government medical centers and district hospitals, rural health units and construction of more birthing facilities, especially in remote and hard to be reached places.

This, according to the director, is in line with this administration under Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III and the health department’s vision under Sec. Ona, that by 2013, all service delivery networks of all regions will be completed and that each of the family’s expecting mothers will have an access to a birthing facility.

She said this is the rationale of the “Kalusugang Pangkalahatan” which is to give a quality access of health services and also a qualitative care for all families.

These health and birthing facilities, she said, will be located at the most strategic places in the region which can be easily accessed by anyone.

Gorgolon also said that the AECID of the Spanish government will also do their share of implementing similar projects in the provinces of Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte and other key places in the region. (PIA Caraga)

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Surigao Sur Gov assures more efficient local tax collection next year

by Greg Tataro, Jr.

TANDAG CITY, Dec. 22 (PIA)
-- Surigao del Sur Gov. Johnny Pimentel assured that local tax collection will be more effective and efficient next year upon completion of computerization program installation here.

Pimentel said, the system installation on real property tax collection has already been 80 percent completed.

Earlier, Pimentel confirmed that recently, the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) in Caraga has awarded Surigao del Sur for topping the local tax collection in the entire region for calendar year 2010.

Such feat has already been done by the province in 2008 according to the governor. (Radyo Ng Bayan-Tandag/PIA-Surigao del Sur)

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Cebuano news: Aquino gilusad ang P10-billion housing program alang sa mga impormal setlers sa Metro Manila

ni Susil D. Ragas



SURIGAO CITY, Dis. 22 (PIA) –- Gipangulohan ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III kagahapon Miyerkules ang groundbreaking sa usa ka housing project didto sa Pasay City gituyo alang sa relokasyon sa mga impormal setler nga nanimuyo sa delikadong mga lugar sa maong syudad.

Ang Pasay City housing projet usa ka parte sa P10-bilyon nga programa sa pabalay nga gilusad sa administrasyong Aquino alang sa National Capital Region aron mahatagan og desenteng pabalay ang ma pobreng nanimuyo sa syudad.

“Ang groundbreaking pong ito ay isang konkretong hakbang sa pagsusumikap nating maisakatuparan ang ating mga pangarap. Isa itong patunay na nasa tamang landas ang ating tinatahak. Alinsunod po sa ating shelter program para sa informal settler families, ito ay para sa mga housing units na ipatatayo sa Lungsod ng Pasay, Quezon at Maynila,” ang Pangulo miingon.

People will be moved from danger areas in the cities of Metro Manila and will be given in-city houses as well as the option to go back to the provinces under the government’s Balik-Probinsya program.

Malayo ang katawhan sa mga delikadong mga lugar sa syudad sa Metro Manila ug hatagan og balay sulod sa syudad lakip usab ang kapilian sa pagbalik ngadto sa mga probinsya ubos sa Balik-Probinsya nga programa sa gobyerno.

Samtang gipangulohan sa Pangulo ang maong kalihukan, susama usab nga mga kalihukan ang gipahigayon didto sa Manila ug Quezon City aron masugdan na dayon ang konstruksyon sa housing proyekto didto.

Ang Pangulo dili palang dugay mi-organisa sa inter-agency technical working group sa informal settlers uban ang Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) nga maoy pangulong ahensya.

Matud sa DILG, Pasay City, Manila ug Quezon City maoy napili tungod sa ilang ready shelter program ug sa ilang interes nga mohimo og in-city housing projects.

Ang DILG miingon mokabat sa 19,000 ka mga pamilya ang nanimuyo sa mga delikadong lugar sa tulo ka mga syudad ang makabenipisyo gikan sa P10 milyon nga housing fund isip pasiunang pagpagawas sa budget department ubos sa disbursement accelerated program ni Pangulong Aquino.

Atol sa maong kalihukan, ang Pangulo mapasalamaton kang Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto ug sa tibuok pangagamhanan sa syudad tungod sa paningkamot niini aron makab-ot ang housing projects alang sa mga impormal setler sa Pasay City.

Ang Pasay City adunay ikatulo sa pinakadakong ihap sa impormal setlers sa Metro Manila. Ang Quezon City ug Manila usab adunay dakong ihap sa mga pobre nga nanimuyo sa syudad mao nga sila usab giprayoridad alang sa paglusad sa maong proyekto.



Bisan pa sa higanteng tahas aron masulbad ang problema sa impormal setlers, ang Pangulo miingon ang iyang pangagamhanan magpadayon sa pagtrabaho uban ang mga partner nga non-government organizations (NGO) aron mangita og mga solusyon.



“Oras po na matapos ang proyektong ito at maipatayo ang mga gusali at bahay totoong bagong umaga na ang naghinihintay sa mga boss natin sa Quezon City, Maynila at dito po sa Pasay,” siya miingon.



Ang Pangulo miapila usab sa katawhan sa pagpalig-on sa diwa sa Bayanihan aron makatabang sa ilang isigkatawo nga nanginahanglan.



“Alalahanin po natin na bilang mga Pilipino ay nasa ilalim lamang tayo ng iisang bubong. Patuloy nawa tayong magkapit-kamay at magtulong-tulong sa iisang direksyon kung saan naghihintay ang kinabukasang mas matiwasay at mas maunlad,” ang Pangulo miingon.



Luyo sa inisyal nga gipagawas nga P10 bilyon karong tuiga, ang gobyerno maggahin og P50 bilyon matag tuig hangtod 2016 alang sa mga housing project sa Metro Manila, ang DILG miingon. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)