News: Flood after flood, Botolan victims kept from returning home, are now restless

Flood after flood, Botolan victims kept from returning home, are now restless

Written by Henry Empeño / Correspondent
Monday, 28 September 2009 18:20

BOTOLAN, Zambales—After losing their homes and most of their belongings to a series of floods that inundated 10 villages in this town since early August, residents who fled to the safety of higher grounds face new problems, mainly lack of food and medicine, as well as a stressful life in overcrowded evacuation centers that have served as their temporary homes.

“They badly need basic items like food, potable water, medicine, clothing, and most of all, housing,” said Vibelen Dimalupig, a social-welfare officer in Zambales, during a briefing at the capitol building in Iba on Thursday.

The relief goods issued by the government and those that come from donors “simply cannot cope” with the needs of the displaced families, she added.

The massive displacement of residents here began last month after heavy rains spawned by Typhoon Kiko combined with excess runoff from the mountains and packed a deadly headwater of debris-filled watery lahar.

The rampaging waters then breached a portion of the San Juan dike along the Bucao River, one of the major catch basins of lahar from Mount Pinatubo, and shifted the river course to nearby villages, sending residents scampering to safety.

In the aftermath of the typhoon, 4,783 families comprising 20,581 persons were displaced, a summary report prepared by the Zambales Provincial Disaster Operation Center showed. These included 4,913 persons from the riverside barangay of San Juan; 3,655 from the village of Carael, where the river passes through; 2,292 from Paco; 2,064 from Bangan; and about 1,500 each from the villages of Tampo, Batonlapoc, Paudpod, Capayawan, Beneg and San Miguel.

In the succeeding weeks when more typhoons brought torrential rains to Zambales, the number of evacuees in Botolan rose and fell along with the dreaded floodwaters, social workers noted.

When Typhoon Maring lashed the province on September 7, for example, 4,673 families were again affected by flash floods.

Of these, 718 families said their houses were totally damaged, while 333 reported that theirs were partially destroyed, a report by Botolan social-welfare officer Isagani Ecle said.

The new floods again led 1,931 families to seek refuge at evacuation centers, and 1,277 others to stay with relatives elsewhere.

Because of the recurring floods, 2,141 families composed of 7,942 men, women and children are still housed in 12 evacuation centers scattered in this municipality as of September 24.

But the relative safety of evacuation centers has apparently started to wear thin and exact some toll on the evacuees over time.

The emerging culprit, evacuees complained, is overcrowding that has inevitably strained the facilities and resources in the evacuation centers.

At the New Taugtog resettlement area, for example, a total of 901 evacuees from 235 families share a warehouse-like structure previously occupied by the Technology Learning and Resources Center.

Camping inside the building, the evacuees erected makeshift rooms that they share with family members and occasionally, household pets like dogs.

Over time, however, the noise and smell became hardly bearable that it was hard to sleep, said 74-year-old Gloria Dimacusa, who evacuated with her six grandchildren.

To make matters worse, the building has only three toilets to serve the whole evacuee population.

Social workers in this town admitted that the situation could be worse in other evacuation centers like the Babon San Juan, which has 1,771 evacuees, or the so-called Tent City, which has a total of 1,288 evacuees.

Gina Acuña, a rural health officer in this town, said the unsanitary condition in the evacuation centers, coupled by lack of adequate food and medicine, has made some residents sick.

Most of those afflicted have acute respiratory tract infection, fever, colds and cough, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Acuña added.

Severino Magsanop, a 93-year-old retired soldier, has been living with his wife Felisa, 80, at the Taugtog resettlement site ever since their house in barangay San Juan became flooded last month.

Magsanop said the government should do what it can to help evacuees rebuild their houses and their lives.

“It’s very difficult to live in this kind of place,” Magsanop told the media in Pilipino during a visit last week. “We’re overcrowded in here. The place is dirty and it smells bad.”

The same plea came from Ester Josafat, 69, and Andres Bulanhigan, 65, who also left their family homes in San Juan when the floods ran roughshod over the village.

Bulanhigan, a vegetable farmer who has three children ages 5 to 16, said it is important for them to have a new home.

“We can make do with not much food, even with a few belongings, but we need to have our own house,” he said.

Typhoon Ondoy

Hello everyone. I hope you're all doing well after all that's being on with Typhoon Ondoy. I haven't had a chance to update, as I lost my Internet service last Saturday and could only use the Internet at work.

Anyway, I'm sure you've read and head a lot about what has happened over the weekend. The greater Manila area, and nearby provinces, experienced the worst rainfall ever last Saturday, about six months worth of water in about six to twelve hours. Many families lost their homes and belongings, some were unfortunate to lose their lives. Those who made it safely to the evacuation centers were all just thankful that they still have their families together.

For those who wish to help, here's three sites that might prove helpful (via MLQ3's Twitter).

List of Places to Donate
Map Update Form (places that still need rescuing, etc)
Ondoy Victim Directory

Also,let's not forget the people in the provinces who were affected by previous storms and were still having trouble recovering. They could also greatly use your help.

Stay safe everyone.

Online forum

I created an online forum/message board for this blog. If you'd like to further interact with other Zambaleños, feel free to sign up. It's basically empty, but I'm hoping it'll soon be a bustling community.

Invite your friends too! Spread the word! Thanks!

Online forum for Zambaleños

Note: Some of the threads require membership to view.

PCIJ articles on Zambales mining

Something that I stumbled upon just today. You may find it interesting.

Mining Mayhem Triggers Eco-Disaster in Zambales
PCIJ report
by: Jaileen F. Jimeneo

Firms mining watershed, forest areas of Zambales
PCIJ report
by: Jaileen F. Jimeneo

Zambales affected by Typhoon Labuyo

After the typhoon Kiko, we now have typhoon Labuyo affecting the residents of Zambales.

Severe floods hit Zambales areas
By Robert Gonzaga, Anselmo Roque

OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines - Heavy rains caused by Typhoon “Labuyo” flooded sections of this city and other parts of Zambales on Tuesday.

The floods that hit at least nine Olongapo villages were the most severe since 1997, said Angelito Layug, city disaster management chief.

“We have not seen something like this since 1997. The river in Sta. Rita overflowed fast, and there is a lot of flooding in the city,” he said.

Layug said the floods swamped the villages of East and West Bajac Bajac, Gordon Heights, Sta. Rita, Old Cabalan, Mabayuan, Ilalim, Kababae and Barrio Barreto

More than 70 people, mostly from Sta. Rita and Old Cabalan, were taken to the Olongapo City National High School while other flood victims chose to seek shelter with their relatives in other parts of the city.

Rains also triggered minor landslides that blocked a road and damaged at least two houses.

Employees of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority at the Subic Bay Freeport were allowed to go on leave Tuesday due to the flooding in Olongapo, where most SBMA workers live.

“Almost 80 percent of our employees are affected by the floods. That’s the SBMA’s workers alone [excluding those who work in companies inside the freeport],” said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

Continue reading

Just two weeks ago, I was able to go to Candelaria. The roads in Botolan were passable, but you could clearly see the devastation Kiko wrought. Now there's news (still looking for it though), that the town's flooded again. :(

I was able to take some photos from the bus. I can only imagine how it might be now that it's raining again.

Botolan, Zambales: Aftermath of Typhoon Kiko.

Zambales signs deal for $50-billion investment

Governer Amor D. Deloso, on September 3, 2009, signed a US $50-billion investment for priority projects in Zambales, focusing on tourism, real estate development, infrastructure, agricultureal research, indigenous power supply and mineral enchancements.

The Memorandum Agreement was inked between the Zambales Provincial Government and the Swiss Global Connect USA, in partnership with the AIPAC Philippine Management Corporation. This was in accordance with the build, operate and transfer (BOT), or the build, operate and own (BOO) programs of the national and provincial government, witnessed by various political leaders, heads of agencies and guests.

Read the full article: Zambales inks $ 50-B investments with Swiss Global Connect USA

News: Botolan folk told: Watch out for typhoons

Botolan folk told: Watch out for typhoons
By Tonette Orejas

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—Filipino-American geologist Kelvin Rodolfo has asked his province mates in Botolan, Zambales to be constantly aware of typhoons and monsoon warnings from the weather bureau, urging them to map out evacuation plans to avoid floods and lahar.

In an e-mail from Chicago, Rodolfo said the August 6 flashfloods, which displaced some 7,000 families in 10 villages in Botolan, happened because the Bucao River received runoff from a huge watershed that is still filled with lahar from Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 eruptions.

“All the runoff from rain [fall] on 270 square kilometers (sq km) on Pinatubo itself, plus 390 sq km from areas outside Pinatubo to the north, mainly the Balintawak-Cabatuan river sytem,” Rodolfo said of what drains to Bucao River before spilling to the South China Sea.

Dr. Renato Solidum, chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said the flood was caused by heavy rains in the watershed of Bucao River.

That watershed, he said, includes not only the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo but also the mountains west and north of the volcano.

Strong current heavy with lahar and mud breached almost a kilometer of the Bucao dike, swamping 10 villages up to more than 1.52 meters of floodwater.

The volcanic sediments that settled on the village of Carael, which were more than two meters high as of Sunday, caused the river to flow back to the other villages before heading out to the sea, said Alfredo Tolentino, director of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Luzon.

“People need to be constantly aware of typhoon and monsoon weather warnings from [the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration] and should have a standing plan as to high ground to go to, and a good route to it,” Rodolfo said.

The study, “Two years of lahar on the western flank of Mt. Pinatubo: Initiation, flow processes, deposits, and attendant geomorphic and hydraulic changes,” provides scientific data and findings on what lies ahead of Botolan and other Zambales towns located on the western side of the volcano.

The study, the most extensive of its kind for a Philippine volcano, was done by Rodolfo, Jess Umbal and Rosalito Alonso (University of Illinois at Chicago), Cristina Remotigue (National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines Diliman), Ma. Lynn Paladio-Melosantos (Phivolcs), Jerry Salvador and Digna Evangelista (Mines and Geosciences Bureau), and Yvonne Miller (University of Geneva).

The study said about two-thirds of the five to six cubic kilometers of rocks, ash, sand, mud, and gases that Pinatubo spewed out in 1991 settled on the western slopes.

“[Lahar deposits] have filled channels almost to capacity, so future flows are expected to avulse out of the present lahar field along new routes,” it said.

The sediments were “funneled principally” into the Bucao and Santo Tomas rivers. These had filled the channels, spilled out and buried villages and farms.

“Considering the vast quantity of fresh pyroclastic debris, lahar, and excess sedimentation may continue for five to 10 years or longer,” it said.

The Bucao River, with a total watershed of 659 sq km, drains the west and northwest of the volcano and its terrain. The river’s Pinatubo portion, spanning 270 sq km, is “by far the largest catchment basin on the volcano.”

The southern part of the Bucao watershed, on the other hand, is drained by nine tributaries of the upper Balin Baquero River, which is joined by the Maraunot River downstream.

Rodolfo said monsoon rains must be watched because 70 to 80 percent of at least 3,800 millimeters of annual rainfall in the province is delivered by the southwest monsoon (habagat) from June to September.

News: Flood overwhelms Philippine rescuers, death toll at 20

Flood overwhelms Philippine rescuers, death toll at 20

BOTOLAN, Philippines: Rescuers struggled to evacuate hundreds of villagers caught by rampaging flash floods in the northern Philippines on Saturday as the death toll rose to 20, officials said.

Police said the bodies of eight of 12 miners buried Friday by a landslide that hit a mining area in the northern city of Baguio have been recovered.

Provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Danilo Pelisco said they were still looking for six other miners.

Some 173,171 people in seven provinces in the northern island of Luzon have been displaced by flooding and landslides in the wake of Typhoon Morakot, which grazed the country before making landfall in Taiwan overnight, disaster relief officials said.

Among those also killed were two French tourists and a Belgian who went hiking on Mount Pinatubo volcano on Thursday despite warnings from local officials of rampaging waters on its slopes.

In the northern town of Botolan in Zambales provinces, rescuers on Saturday were battling strong currents to evacuate hundreds of residents marooned in their homes after rainwater and mud from the slopes of Pinatubo breached a dike.

A portion of the main highway leading to Botolan had been transformed into a rampaging river, and the current had swept away entire homes, trees and vehicles, an AFP photographer said.

"We are going to look for higher ground," said Joey Tiago, a member of the ethnic Aeta tribe, after he and his family managed to escape. "The water came suddenly Wednesday night, and we fled quickly toward safely with just our clothes on."

He said his home had been washed away.

On Friday, the air force said helicopters had plucked out about 300 children from submerged Botolan homes.

The government has declared Zambales under a "state of calamity" and released emergency funding to help the provincial government.

The state weather bureau said that while Morakot had now passed the Philippines, it would continue to bring rains across Luzon that could cause flash floods and landslides.

This video was taken by my mom yesterday around noon.

News: Subic businessmen propose ad ban along SCTEx

Businessmen in the Subic Bay Free Port are calling for a ban on commercial billboards along the scenic Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, saying that the clean, natural landscape would be a bigger attraction for tourists.

Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC) president Danny Piano said that while tourists have expressed their appreciation of the view along the SCTEx, the absence of clear-cut policies on commercial billboards might prompt the spread of giant outdoor advertising along the 94-kilometer stretch.

Piano said that the group's position is backed by several organizations and local government units (LGUs). The SBFCC has sent a position paper to Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president Narciso Abaya on the the proposed billboards ban. Abaya has reportedly committed the agency's full support to protect the beautiful sceneries along SCTEx.

The full article can be viewed here: Subic business wants billboards banned along SCTEX.

My first trip along the SCTEx was of May last year, and really enjoyed it. The roads were smooth and clear, and not only did it cut the trip from Manila to Subic, it gave us this really amazing view of the provinces we passed through. I've been traveling to and from Zambales my entire life, and this was a very pleasant change of scenery.








We hardly saw any houses along the way. It was nothing but fields or mountains still lush with trees. There was also an occasional fog, but not the thin ones you'd associate with lowland fogs, but the thick, rolling kind, like what you'd get when you're in Tagaytay or Baguio.

I'm all for this, and I hope that it pushes through. I also hope that the residents would be supportive of keeping the scenery around SCTEx as it is. It is also my hope that the business won't sell out by giving permits for malls or other structures to be built on these lands. If that were the case, give me the billboards.









All photos © Kat Sales

The sights & sounds of San Antonio, Zambales

This recently came into my mail via Google Alerts, a Channel News Asia Article about San Antonio, Zambales. Below is an excerpt from the article.

The music is thanks to Casa San Miguel, a community-based arts centre that nurtures the talents of local children in various disciplines. The centre is run by music director Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata, an alumnus of the Julliard School of Music in New York and the University of Indiana.

Coke, who heads the arts centre cum school, had quit his job as a professional musician in New York to set up the centre. It was his way of giving back to the community.

Situated on his family’s mango orchard, Casa San Miguel has a two-storey visual arts gallery, residences for artists, a hall that can accommodate chamber orchestra concerts and a 1,000-seat circular outdoor theatre set amid the cool shades of the mango trees.


Casa San Miguel, 2005 (Photo by: Kat Sales)

The centre is where the young of San Miguel can get a quality education in the arts, be it visual arts, photography or music. Most of the students are children of fishermen and farmers from the village, but some hail from affluent neighbourhoods in Manila. Classes and workshops are conducted by Coke and volunteer Filipino artists.

The school’s alumni have gone on to win prizes in the Philippines as well as been talent spotted by agents from the Julliard School of Music whom Coke invites to the village’s annual showcase of artistry.

Indeed, the opening night of the 16th Pundaquit Festival of Music and the Arts on March 28 saw the Pundaquit Virtuosi — a string orchestra featuring gifted children from five to 15 — giving a stunning performance that would not be out of place at the best concert halls in the world.

For the complete article about San Antonio, Zambales, please visit this link.

I also added some pictures of Casa San Miguel to the photo album. These were taken during a trip there back in 2005. So many things have changed already, which I hope to see soon.