By John Noel E. Herrera
The Passi City Government in Iloilo province declared a state of calamity due to heavy rains which resulted in flooding and landslides in some areas.
Passi City Mayor Stephen Palmares, on Friday, May 5, 2023, confirmed the declaration which would allow the local government unit (LGU) to utilize its disaster funds to aid affected families.
Non-stop rains due to a low-pressure area (LPA) near Negros Island affected several towns in Western Visayas in the past two days (May 3 to 4), including Passi City and other municipalities in Iloilo province.
Data from Passi City LGU indicated that around 3,000 families or 7,000 individuals were affected by flooding and landslides in the town.
Their monitoring revealed that 32 out of 51 barangays were affected by the heavy rain with some houses damaged, but no major government facilities or structures were destroyed.
Some roads also turned into rivers, making them unpassable at that time, forcing some personnel of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) to conduct rescue operations for stranded residents.
The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) also said that no casualties were reported during the two-day flooding.
Palmares added that the CDRRMO is continuously monitoring the situation, while the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) has already started distributing food packs to the victims.
Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-6 indicated that they have already distributed around P6.3 million worth of family food packs and hygiene kits to different affected areas in the region, including 503 relief packs and hygiene kits in Passi City.
Meanwhile, data from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-6, as of May 5, showed that a total of 10,580 families were affected by heavy rains brought by the LPA, which include 6,616 families in Iloilo, 3,950 in Capiz, and 14 families in Negros Occidental.
The OCD-6 added that the LPA may develop into a Tropical Depression by May 6 and might exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Sunday, May 7, 2023.
