State of calamity in 5 Mindanao LGUs; Davao Oriental next

MANILA, Philippines – Davao Oriental may be declared under a state of calamity on Tuesday, January 14, should the provincial board heed the call of Governor Corazon Malanyaon.

Malanyaon, according to a report from government-run Philippine News Agency, made the call on Monday. Flood and landslides have been reported after a low pressure area battered parts of Mindanao that are still recovering from the onslaught of Typhoon Pablo in 2012.

Before Davao Oriental, 4 towns and one city in other parts of Mindanao had been placed under state of calamity, according to the Twitter account @PIAalerts of the state-run Philippine Information Agency. These are: 

• San Francisco in Agusan del Sur
• Butuan in  Agusan del Norte
• Kapalong, New Corella, and Carmen in Davao del Norte

As of 12 pm Monday, at least 5 people from Davao Oriental were confirmed dead while 23 others were wounded after a landslide hit Barangay Bangol in the town of Tarragona. At least 1,600 families were also displaced. 

Roads from Mati City and Surigao leading to the towns of Baganga, Cateel, and Boston are currently not passable. Authories said a total of 33 roads in Mindanao have been rendered impassable by the rain as of 12 pm. 

Even Navy boats and military choppers could not reach affected areas due to bad weather, Malanyaon said.  

Davao Oriental’s sangguniang panlalawigan is expected to meet for their regular session on Tuesday. 

As of 12 pm Monday, at least 13 people were killed in Mindanao while 34 others were wounded due to landslides and flashfloods brought by the LPA. 

Meanwhile, 25,634 families or 128,215 individuals were forced to take shelter in 79 evacuation centers in 16 munipalities and two cities. 

In 2012, Typhoon Pablo – the strongest typhoon to hit Mindanao in recent years – left more than 1,000 dead and caused about P37 billion in damage. (READ: TIMELINE: Looking back at 2012’s Typhoon Pablo) – Angela Casauay/Rappler.com