DAGUPAN CITY — The City Council placed Dagupan under a state of calamity in a resolution issued Saturday due to continuous rains and flooding caused by the storm-enhanced southwest monsoon.
In a radio interview, Councilor Jose Netu Tamayo said the resolution was passed during a special session at the recommendation of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and the request of Mayor Belen Fernandez.
“Mayor Fernandez requested that our city be put under a state of calamity after the nearby Sinocalan River in Sta. Barbara has breached its dikes, causing the water to overflow in Dagupan,” he said.
As of Saturday morning, all roads in the city were no longer passable to light vehicles, while several barangays were flooded, among them Mayombo, Pantal, Lucao, Tapuac, Barangays I, II, III, and IV, among others, the CDRRMO reported.
Ronald de Guzman, head of the CDRRMO, said that despite the flooding in the city, no casualty has been reported so far.
“We expect more water coming from upstream, as the city is the ‘catch basin’ of the Sinocalan River System, eventually leading to the open sea,” he said.
According to Republic Act No. 8185, local government units under a state of calamity shall set aside 5 percent of the estimated revenue from regular sources as annual lump sum appropriation for relief, rehabilitation or reconstruction and other works or services in connection with calamities that may occur during the budget year. (Ahikam Pasion/PNA)
