Over a thousand families in Northern Mindanao evacuated due to nonstop rains

Published December 25, 2022, 6:52 PM

by Franck Dick Rosete

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Over a thousand families in the Northern Mindanao region, specifically in the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Misamis Occidental, were evacuated due to nonstop moderate to heavy rains since Christmas Eve (Dec. 24).

In a situational report from the Office of the Civil Defense Region 10 (OCD-10), the agency reported 705 families composed of 1,935 individuals who were evacuated from 25 barangays in five cities and municipalities in Misamis Oriental. 

The Coast Guard Station Misamis Occidental Deployable Response Group (DRG) deploys its personnel to conduct rescue operations and rendered necessary assistance for the evacuation of the local residents affected by the flood at Barangay Del Paz and Barangay Lupagan, Clarin, Misamis Occidental. (Photo courtesy of Coast Guard District Northern Mindanao)

The affected areas in the said province include the cities of Gingoog and El Salvador, and the municipalities of Magsaysay, Talisayan, Balingoan, and Balingasag.

About 696 families or 1,863 individuals have remained in the evacuation centers as some of the families already went back to their respective places.

On the other hand, in the province of Misamis Occidental, the OCD-10 has tallied 505 affected and evacuated families, which are equivalent to 2,398 individuals from a total of 16 barangays in the municipalities of Sinacaban and Jimenez.

The OCD-10 is still waiting for the updated report from different local affected government units (LGUs). 

The said number of affected families are still in the evacuation areas based on the report, and the flood from the two municipalities already subsided at around 5 a.m. of Dec. 25, Christmas Day.

It can be recalled that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has issued a heavy rainfall warning signal number 2 due to shearline/wind convergence weather system on December 24, 8 p.m.

Due to the heavy rains, the water system in Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental, specifically the transmission pipeline has been reportedly damaged.

On the other hand, the Highway 955 and Cagayan de Oro-Butuan highway in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental has also been affected because of road blockage due to loosen gravel and falling rocks and trees, and overflowing of canal due to non-stop heavy rains.

Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro has also experienced nonstop light to moderate rains. However, there were no affected nor evacuated families as of the latest, and the water level of the Cagayan de Oro and Iponan river remain normal as confirmed by the City Disaster Risk Reduction (CDRRMD) and Management Department here.

The respective local government units of the affected areas have been currently monitoring the weather condition and advised their respective constituents to take extra precautions.

Stage Set for 5 Presidentiables for Cagayan de Oro Leg of Pilipinas Debates 2016

By GMA-News 

Photo by Jo Madrigal

The stage is literally set as Cagayan de Oro City prepares for the first presidential debate on Sunday.

The five presidential hopefuls Vice President Jejomar Binay, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Grace Poe, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago are all expected to face off for the first time on Sunday since they declared to run for president.

The first of the PiliPinas Debates 2016 is organized by GMA 7, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Commission on Elections. Similar debates will be held in Luzon and in the Visayas over the course of the 90-day campaign period.

The Mindanao debate will be held at the Mini-Theater Building of the Capitol University. It will be the first time that a presidential debate will be held in Mindanao.

The event will be moderated by GMA News anchors Jessica Soho and Mike Enriquez and Inquirer.net editor-in-chief John Nery.

The Comelec earlier said that the venue can only accommodate 500 people.

Technical staff check on the stage where Sunday's debate will be held. Photo by JESSICA BARTOLOME, GMA News

Photo by JESSICA BARTOLOME

Aside from the the organizers, the security officials of the Cagayan de Oro City have also started preparing for the debate. In its initial advisory, they told residents to expect heavy traffic along Corrales, Osmeña, Gaabucayan and Recto streets on Sunday.

The PiliPinas Mindanao debate will air from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. live over GMA-7 and Super Radyo dzBB and will be livestreamed at GMA News Online. —Trisha Macas/NB, GMA News

Mindanao Gets Most Project Approval in Philippine Rural Development Project

Mindanao is getting the bigger chunk in terms of approval of projects in the Department of Agriculture (DA) Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) through funding from the World Bank, the Philippine Government and Local Government Units (LGUs).

In a press conference hosted by DA in Cagayan de Oro on 8 September 2015, the department reiterated that in fact more than 50% of the approved project for infrastructure is from Mindanao.

DA Undersecretary Emerson Palad said that the ultimate goal of PRDP is to increase income of farmers by 30% at the end of the project.

PRDP is a six year national government platform for an inclusive, value chain-oriented and climate resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. It is the upscale version of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) where innovations are introduced to address current and emerging challenges like climate change and make rural development more effective.

Arnel De Mesa, Deputy Project Director of PRDP said that there is no specific budget allocation per island for this project. With a total of P27.5B fund resources to spend for six years, 67% or P18.5B goes to infrastructure support, 22% or P7B goes to investments in enterprise, 8% goes to planning and 2% goes to project management.

The projects that will be approved come from the proposals of each LGU.  However, prior to the approval, proposals must go through processes.

First, proposal must be demand driven and must be the need of the community. Second, it must be commodity and market driven wherein there is an assurance of income due to its demand in the market, thus will increase income and generate employment. Third, an LGU must have a Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) where various stakeholders have been consulted.

According to DA regional director Lealyn Ramos, the LGUs of Mindanao have been receptive about the program. This is because they will only spend 10% of the total budget for a project approved; 80% would come from the World Bank and the other 10% from the national government.

Ramos said that there is no limit to the project an LGU wants to propose provided that they can produce their 10% share and they can provide documents.

In Mindanao, she said that there are already 75 provincial LGUs out of 81 who are engaged in PRDP. Total of 23 farm-to-market road (FMR) projects or P930M budget have already been approved for Northern Mindanao. Meanwhile, P4.9B worth of various projects have already been approved for Mindanao island and another P4.9B is waitlisted for review.

Ramos said that we are now into up scaling of products. If a farmer is into cacao, then products would include chocolates; there will be factory and packaging will be improved.

The Department reiterates that they are very strict in terms of the implementation of this project. They have now what you call online tracking tool, geotag, wherein photos of the before, during and after of the project will be put online by contractors. Through geotagging, they will know if a project is already done in the area. The department assures that there is no duplication of project in the same area. (JMOR/PIA10)

Garbage Problem in The Philippines

The problem is not new and everywhere in the Philippines:

CdeO garbage woes may drive investors away

By 

PAMELA JAY F. ORIAS

(Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro's File Photo)

WITH the garbage situation in Cagayan de Oro city getting worst, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI–Oro Chamber) fears the city may lose its prospective investments if this problem remains unattended.

Cerael Donggay, president of Oro Chamber, said the City Local Environment and Natural Resources (Clenro) has sought for the chamber's help regarding the waste disposal problem.

"Naa ta'y gipang-assign diha to manage and recommend solutions, we are working with them," said Donggay.

Donggay urged the City Council to approve appropriate budget for development projects saying, "If they have a problem or issue with themselves, people's welfare should not be at stake. Budget should be released for infrastructure, solid waste management, traffic congestion solutions and many other pressing issues sa city."

He added that these problems including garbage may eventually cause loss of investments for the city.

Meanwhile, environment advocates are dismayed with the City Government for its continuing neglect of the garbage problem in the city.

“Cagayan de Oro is very dirty, dirty talaga, nanghihinayang ako,” said lawyer Normita Batula, executive director of Balaod Mindanaw.

She said the situation does not reflect a developed and successful city.

"To be fair, there are areas na malinis naman pero pag dumaan ka sa areas na yun nang umaga, ang dumi talaga. There has to be a proper dumpsite here," Batula said.

Batula cited that Solid Waste Management must be enforced and make each citizen responsible to segregate waste. “But, the waste collection is the duty of the City Government.”

She urged the local officials lack the political will to implement policies on proper waste disposal adding that if these officials have it, “They can use it to develop other ways to lessen the garbage produced every day in the city.”

She also raised the non-observance of the city ordinance regulating the distribution of plastic bags and requiring establishments additional charge from customers asking for the plastic bags.

A penalty amounting to P5,000 and suspension or cancellation of business can be imposed by violators.

"LGUs clearly do not observe this ordinance obviously, daghan kaayo tay plastic sa palibot."

Batula added that strong coordination between residents and the local government will help lessen the problem.

"It's about time we move and really do something about this," she said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on July 26, 2015.

NPA Contact CDO Mayor to Deny Extortion Try Against German Doctors - Interaksyon.com

I was really sad and frustrated to get the news, that Germans closed hospital in Cagayan de Oro. - At the medical facility of the Committee of German doctors there, sadness and uncertainty were indeed written on the faces of patients who have been lining up for free medical treatment when, at around 4 pm two days ago staff members started posting signs that there will be no medical consultations.

Of course, health workers at the hospital operated jointly by the Committee of German Doctors for Developing Countries and the Jose P. Rizal College of Medicine of the Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan are still uncertain about their employment. 

Actually the government and the NDF have signed the "Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). The NPA (New Peoples Army) fully adheres to it.

Read more about this topic here:


NPA contact CDO mayor to deny extortion try against German Doctors - Interaksyon.com