Surigao del Sur governor asks board to declare state of calamity

BUTUAN CITY -With 52 barangays in nine municipalities submerged in floodwaters, Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel asked the provincial board members to declare the province under a state of calamity. In a phone interview on Monday, Pimentel told GMANEWS.TV that residents in the affected areas need the government's support at this time. “The town of San Miguel is already submerged in six foot high floodwaters lagpas tao pa yung lalim. In towns of Barobo, Cantilan and Lianga, some low lying areas there are no longer passable with all types of vehicles forcing some to use rubber boats and bancas as means of transporting people, relief goods and others," Pimentel said. Pimentel said he is personally monitoring the situation in the province's 17 towns since Sunday evening. “I visited some affected areas already but I cannot be with my people personally in 24 hour basis because I also had to be at my office to supervise and administer all affairs of the Provincial Government with the help of course of the vice Governor and provincial board members," Pimentel said. "It saddens me that at the start of the year calamity like this struck our province but we are still beaming with hope that we can recover all these," Pimentel added. However, Pimentel estimated that the flood damage to infrastructure, crops, livestock, fishponds, and others could reach millions of pesos. He said he cannot give the exact amount of the damage yet "because I will attend first the need of my people especially those whose homes affected by floodwaters and those who evacuated." Pimentel hopes that by tomorrow the provincial board would have finished assessing the damage brought by massive flooding in Surigao del Sur that began at the start of the new year. The governor confirmed that the 175-foot high Radio Ng Bayan Tandag tower near the provincial capitol was toppled down by strong winds at dawn on Monday. Pimentel once served as Vice-Governor for three terms then as provincial administrator for nine years before he was elected as Governor. Surigao del Sur has one of the longest coastlines and the most number of bridges in the country. – VVP, GMANews.TV