PATIN-AY, PROSPERIDAD - 5 dead and 1 reported missing due to flood caused by consecutive days of heavy rains added with the Low Pressure which just entered last January 11 that brought the 14 municipalities of Agusan del Sur into a water-filled towns.

Dense of water occupied the different rivers and agricultural areas of the province that also killed and displaced innocent residents.

The names listed below are the reported dead as of January 14:

Melito Gortina, 19 years old, from Lucena, Prosperidad
Loreto Sabatin, 43 years old, from Magsaysay, Prosperidad
Adrian Alpeche Malayag, 1 year and 9 months old, from Taglatawan, Bayugan City
Emerlinda Artajo, 47 years old, from Caimpugan, Bunawan
Anna Marie Noble Ocite from San Francisco

Liza Moreno, 37 years old, from Nueva Era, Bunawan was reported missing and the Search and Rescue Agusan del Sur (SARAS) and local rescue units are still looking for her.

Not less than 128,396 persons and 121 barangays were affected by flood.

According to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) Action Officer Mr. Roberto Natividad, teams from provincial SARAS augmented in the search and rescue of the different affected municipalities.

Governor Adolph Edward G. Plaza and Vice Governor Santiago Cane Jr., visited the affected municipalities last Sunday, January 12, to check the status and the effect of the flood in the areas.

See: Gov. Plaza visits evacuation centers in Bunawan and Veruela.

The provincial government of Agusan del Sur is ready at any time in providing relief goods, since the municipalities can still provide enough goods to its residents. So, if the municipality can’t provide anymore, that will be the time that the provincial government will supplement the supply of goods, as a standard operating procedure of the province.


Image courtesy of Vice Governor Santiago Cane Jr.

Consecutively, the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur awarded as one of the 2012 Highest Real Property Tax Collection in the entire Caraga region with efficiency on tax collection of over 119% held at Balanghay Hotel, Butuan City last December 2013.

In which, Governor Adolph Edward G. Plaza received the Plaque of Recognition in accordance to the said award from the Bureau of Local Government and Finance during the 1st day of the provincial government’s flag ceremony last January 6 .

In an interview with the Provincial Assessor, Mr. Cesar T. Rufila, a program called “Cleansing of Records” has been implemented to update the records of those who had real estate properties using their Computerized Real Property Tax Information System and it is currently used by the municipalities of the entire province.

Besides the system they developed, they have also a very tempting reward to those who paid in advance, having 20% discount to those who paid its whole year tax in advance, while 10% discount will be given to those who promptly pay quarterly.

The success of the program will not be realized without the effort of the Provincial Treasurer, Mr. Alvin Elorde and the big support of the honorable Gov. Eddiebong G. Plaza.

This is the second time that the provincial government received such award consecutively. And there will be a chance that for 2013 result, the province of Agusan del Sur will be awarded again since according to the report of the Provincial Treasury, as of October 2013, the tax collection is about 98% already. 

The Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur released a Proclamation No. 1 Series of 2013 stating that November 8, tomorrow, all the classes and government offices are suspended except those offices mandated to go on duty during calamities. Due to the advisory from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (Caraga) and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC). Since Typhoon Yolanda seems it is currently changing its path.

This was the agreement between the Risk Reduction Council meeting headed by Gov. Adolph Edward G. Plaza and Vice Gov. Santiago Cane Jr. last November 7 at the Provincial Governor's Office Conference Room.

Vice Governor Santi Cane  pointed out that those who will go to evacuation centers, see to it that the center will not be prone to devastation caused by the typhoon.

And also, the council agreed that if there is a sign of strong winds, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has the right to stop or hold the operation of all the public vehicles, to mitigate casualties because there might be a landslide or uprooted trees along the highway.

Governor Plaza advised all the concerned government offices to act and help when the calamity arise.

Delegation of tasks was given to the respective government offices such as National Food Authority (NFA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), etc.

Also, all the provincial department offices were assigned as partner of different national department offices.

Luzon

At 4:00 am today, the eye of Typhoon "YOLANDA"was located based on all available data at 822 km East of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur (08.4°N, 133.8°E) with maximum sustained winds of 215 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 250 kph. It is forecast to move West Northwest at 30 kph. Northeast monsoon affecting Northern Luzon.

Bicol Region, Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms. The regions of Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and Ilocos will be partly cloudy to cloudy with light rains. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.


Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and coming from the northeast to north over Mindanao. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough.

It has been said that Typhoon Yolanda is stronger that Typhoon Pablo last year that causes of hundreds of fatalities in Southern Mindanao.

Yolanda has been categorized as Category 5 typhoon and the strongest category.

Source: PAG-ASA DOST

Caraga Region is on Signal Number 1.

The Regions of Caraga, Eastern and Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao will have cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslide. Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa and the rest of Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.


 Moderate to strong winds blowing from the east will prevail over Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough. Winds will be light to moderate coming from the east to northeast over Visayas and Mindanao with slight to moderate seas.

Source: PAG-ASA DOST

Be careful to landslides and flashfloods