Land transport still a problem in DavOr

MATI CITY—Non-stop rains since January 10 till January 12, 2014, growing heavier due to a Low Pressure Area gave way to deadly flash floods and landslides that flowed with logs and big rocks, damaging and washing away bridges, roadways and structures, and making Accessibility by Land in the affected areas a gigantic problem similar to that experienced after the onslaught of super typhoon Pablo.

Travel by land from Mati to the Coastal towns was rendered impossible or impassable due to the totally damaged bridges connecting one town to another, starting with Kinunuan bridge connecting Tarragona and Manay due to landslide in Sitio Bangol, Tarragona that claimed four lives; then three bridges in Caraga: (a) Baogo, (b) San Jose conjoining Santiago and Sta. Fe, and (c) San Pedro in Sobrecarey; and Lumaw bridge in Cateel, while Cateel’s Papag or Taytayan bridge was partially torn on one side.

The more expensive dawat-dawat or handing-receiving  passengers at broken-bridge points to ride in bancas or pump-boats served as the sole means of transportation for the ordinary commuter.

This is based on situational reports from Fr. Philip Dimalanta, parochial vicar of St. James the Apostle Parish in Cateel, and Fr. Uldarico Toroba, parish priest of San Salvador Parish in Caraga.

Fr. Toroba also explained that after the landslide came the monstrous flooding from the rivers, resulting in the toppling down of electrical posts and cutting off of cell phone signals.

The 701st ID and 67th IB in the East Coast further explained regarding landslides in Sitio Camansi of Barangay Maglahus, and Barangay Aliwagwag, both in Cateel, and that all ten barangays in the municipality of Boston were affected by flashfloods and landslides.

The same scenarios of flashfloods and landslides bringing huge rocks and logs also happened in the Gulf Towns, particularly in (1) Marayag, Lupon where a buhawi or mini-tornado happened dawn of Jan. 12 destroying homes as well; and (2) in Luzon, Governor Generoso, the broken-down Magdog bridge seriously blocked land transport.

The gulf-town calamities and two fatalities were initially reported to DXHM news by Fr. Joselito Salisad, parish priest of Holy Rosary Chuirch in Calapagan, and the situation was witnessed the following day, Jan. 13, by Sr. Melvin Manligoy, CSJ and a group from the diocesan Social Action Center who brought a cargo of relief goods to the 164 homeless families living in temporary shelters along the muddy roadway.

The Mati diocese had also prepared larger bundles of relief goods repacked for calamities, now intended for transport to the East Coast on January  15-16; while, on the other hand, four organized teams with doctors, nurses and religious/lay volunteers will depart for Leyte and Samar for  medical and debriefing missions on January 19-25.

Meantime, the Provincial Government and the concerned LGU disaster teams have been coordinating for a truly effective distribution of relief goods; the City of Mati and the rest of the municipalities had also reported tens of thousands of affected families and millions of pesos worth of damages in agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock, plus the earlier mentioned bridges and infrastructures.

Thus, upon the request of Governor Corazon Malanyaon, the provincial legislature Sangguniang Panlalawigan declared a State of Calamity in Davao Oriental during its January 14, 2014 session.