A heavy downpour  triggered by Tropical Storm “Mario" which started last Wednesday night until yesterday morning caused flooding and landslides in several areas in Cebu. This prompted Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III  to cancel classes in all levels in the Province yesterday.

Several areas in Bogo City were flooded. Families were rescued and evacuated to a safe area. The Freeman reported that more than 200 Bogohanons were evacuated to the city sports complex for safety and around 600 sacks of relief goods were distributed to the affected barangays. 

60 people have been evacuated to the Bogo Central School, around 1,300 to the multi-purpose center in Barangay Anonang Sur, and around 300 to the multi-purpose gym in Barangay Malingin.

Huge volume of rainwater from mountain barangays flows through the river connecting to the lowland areas.  The video below shows a river in Brgy. Malingin.

Twelve northern Cebu towns were given 168 million pesos to fix government buildings, build emergency shelter and develop resettlement areas for Yolanda survivors. The financial assistance came from three government agencies: Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Housing Authority (NHA), and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Sunstar reported:

This represents only the first tranche, said a recent progress report of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The assistance is not part of the P12.2-billion rehabilitation and recovery plan for Cebu Province that President Benigno Aquino III signed last July, said Capitol consultant for rehabilitation and recovery Carmel Ulanday.

Yolanda ended more than 6,200 lives and injured about 28,000 people in the Visayas last Nov. 8, 2013, said a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council report.

The typhoon also destroyed or damaged almost P40 billion worth of infrastructure, crops and agricultural facilities.

DILG’s first tranche of assistance was released last May 2. It was intended for the repair of municipal buildings, public markets and civic centers.

Ulanday said the second tranche will be for the repair of barangay halls.

Earlier, Regional Director Ananias Villacorta said the financial assistance distributed to northern local governments formed part of the Recovery Assistance for Yolanda (RAY) fund of DILG.

For its part, DSWD has given emergency shelter assistance to Madridejos (P66.4 million), Sogod (18.1 million) and Tabuelan (P9 million).

Read more : 12 Cebu towns receive P168M

Mechanical engineer Duncan Kirton-Darling, from Walker in Newcastle, willwork on a disaster relief project in devastated parts of the Philippines.

The 31-year-old will work around the clock fixing schools and care centres in parts of the Philippines wrecked by the devastating Typhoon Haiyan. He will be spending ten weeks in the City of Bogo and San Remigio on the disaster relief project, which will also involve looking after children while their parents help with the recovery efforts.

Duncan will be working alongside other volunteers from Projects Abroad when he flies out in late September.

Read more: Walker engineer to rebuild flattened schools in Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan

THE entire fourth legislative district of the province of Cebu was declared as an election “hot spot” after the regional police force revised its watchlist of areas where violence are likely to erupt in this year’s election period.

Cebu’s fourth district is composed of the city of Bogo and the towns of Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Medellin, San Remigio, Sta. Fe, Tabogon and Tabuelan.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has rejected the request of Rep. Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu, 4th district) to place Bogo City in northern Cebu under Comelec control in the 2013 elections to prevent a repeat of the stand-off in Pulambato in 2010.

Comelec Chairperson Sixto Brillantes said the Comelec, as a collegial body, decided that placing Bogo City under Comelec control is unnecessary and has no basis.

Brillantes said the Comelec decision is final.

Earlier, Salimbangon said placing Bogo City under Comelec control will prevent violence in the elections, especially that there are armed men in the area who are freely roaming around.

Salimbangon said he wants clean and honest elections and placing Bogo City under Comelec control will prevent criminals from making trouble during the campaign period and on election day.

Bogo City Mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. said he is happy to learn about the Comelec order, saying the congressman’s suggestion is selective.

“Benhur might have thought that because Brillantes was their lawyer in the 2010 election, he can again take advantage now that Brillantes is the Comelec chairman,” Martinez said.

He said it’s not good for Salimbangon to suggest only Bogo City for Comelec control when there are more troubled towns in the fourth district, such as Daanbantayan, Tabuelan, Sta. Fe, San Remigio and Madridejos.

Instead of Comelec control, Martinez suggested the creation of a credible group composed of religious, civic and media leaders to oversee the elections in the entire fourth district.

“I think that if created, this group from the religious, civic and media sectors will be respected by all political leaders and their followers because they are non-partisan and whose only motive in monitoring the fourth district is to ensure a clean and honest elections,” Martinez said.

source: US News Las Vegas

Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr. said Cebu’s 4th district would only be placed under Comelec control if there is actual violence.

Brillantes said the situation should be grave enough to warrant the commission’s control.

”Kung marami na hong namamatay dyan, nag-bombahan na, nag-iitsahan na ng granada, nagsusuguran na, maraming loose firearms, nagbabarilan na dyan. Wala nang peace and order. That is the time we place it under Comelec control. Is that the situation?” Brillantes said in an interview in Atty. Frank Malilong’s TV 5 program “Frankahay Ta.”

...

Mayor Junie Martinez said they only suggested that the entire district be placed under Comelec control with conditions after Salimbangon suggested that Bogo be placed under the commission’s control.

”Salimbangon wants only Bogo declared, so I said, ‘Why not the entire district?” Junie said.

Read more: balita.ph

Comelec Provincial Supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano told Cebu Daily News last Friday that placing an area under Comelec control is considered a last resort.

“It is the Comelec en banc who will make the decision and the creation of the special task force who will oversee the Comelec controlled area,” he said. 

Read more: Cebu Daily News