City Council places Mandaue under state of calamity

THE Mandaue City Council has placed the city under a state of calamity three days after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) in Cebu.

John Eddu Ibañez, executive secretary of Mayor Jonas Cortes, told SunStar Cebu that the City Council issued Resolution No. 15-940-2021 declaring the city under the state of calamity during their special session on Sunday, December 19, 2021.

Ibañez said the City Council answered the call of the mayor, through the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (LDRRMC), to make the declaration, stressing that the calamity funds are badly needed to alleviate the woes of the city residents.

“They answered the call of the mayor recommending the issuance or declaration as we badly needed the calamity funds to mobilize our personnel, to procure relief aid, relief kits, to procure additional equipment and vehicles, water tankers, generators to alleviate the sufferings of the Mandauehanons,” he said.

Price freeze

While the city is under a state of calamity, a price freeze must be observed for essential goods including gasoline and water. The Local Price Coordination Council of Mandaue was also ordered activated.

With the development, Ibañez said they can also use this year’s entire LDRRMC trust fund balance amounting to P40 million.

But since the state of calamity may not end this year, the budget for next year amounting to P112 million can also be utilized, he said.

Ibañez said personnel the City Social Welfare and Services was already distributing relief kits to the heavily affected barangays.

The executive secretary is also set to recommend to the mayor the implementation of “Operation Lugaw” in heavily affected barangays, particularly coastal areas like Looc, Opao, Umapad, Paknaan, Basak, Jagobiao, Alang-alang and Cambaro.

Clearing roads

As for road clearing, Ibañez estimated that 80-85 percent of the major thoroughfares had been cleared of obstructions.

“After that, we’re already focusing our clearing operations on secondary and interior roads. And hopefully after the secondary and interior roads, we can help those individual households that were hit by felled trees,” he said.

The roads to emergency installations, hospitals, groceries and gasoline stations have been cleared.

Investigation

Typhoon Odette claimed the lives of seven individuals in Barangay Maguikay on December 16, and Mayor Cortes has promised a thorough investigation as the deaths were reportedly caused by the collapse of a firewall at the height of the typhoon.

Cortes told SunStar Cebu that Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede said the City Council would also conduct its own investigation “in aid of legislation” to prevent a similar accident from occurring again.

The fatalities Jose Winnie Enoc, 62; Arnold Enoc, 24; and Aira Mae, 16, lived in the same household.

The other victims, who lived around three houses away from the three victims, were Emelita Bantigue, 43; Leah Clarus, 36; and three-year-old twins Eloiza Dionne and Elaiza Dianne Clarus.

Cortes said they had called on the concerned stakeholders including the management of Nutri Asia, Office of the Building Official, officials of the barangay, and the families of the victims, and others to get their sides on the incident.

Cortes said the city government will extend whatever help they can provide to the bereaved families including employment and scholarship assistance.

He urged everyone able to help to extend this to others in need during this calamity. (MKG)