City of Tacloban declares State of Calamity

These young women take a rubber floater to pass a flooded street in Barangay Apitong, Tacloban City. MELCHOR CASPE

TACLOBAN CITY – Due to the incessant rains, the city government declared Tacloban under state of calamity, according to Salvador Estudillo, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC).

In an interview with the Leyte Samar Daily Express, Estudillo said that the CDRRMC has been monitoring almost all of the barangays in the city since the heavy rains started early this week where areas has been flooded and some had landslides.
With this development, he said that Mayor Alfred Romualdez endorsed his recommendation to the city council to declare Tacloban under state of calamity.

Estudillo said that declaring Tacloban under a state of calamity will enable them to address properly the needs of the constituents, especially those extremely affected barangays.

It will also provide opportunities for government employees to avail of calamity loan, so they can repair their damaged houses, he added.

He said that the 138 barangays were heavily affected by the continuous and heavy rains that resulted to flooding and landslides where more properties and houses were destroyed.

Meanwhile, Vicente Dy III, city budget officer, said in a separate interview, that the city government has already used P10.5 million since January of the annual calamity fund amounting to P39.8 million.

“This P10.5 million is 26.3% from this year’s calamity fund,” Dy added.

Dy explained that the money was released to cover expenses on relief operations and rehabilitation. (NOEL SEVILLANO TALACAY)