ILOILO CITY — The government of Igbaras town in Iloilo province has initially placed at PHP29.3 million the damages to infrastructure and agriculture due to the landslide that occurred in Barangay Igpigus in the morning of August 4.
In an interview, Mayor Vicente Escorpion said Wednesday damages to infrastructure, mostly houses and roads, amounted to PHP25.7 million, while damages to agriculture, mostly livestock, poultry, rice crops and fruit-bearing trees, reached PHP3.6 million.
As of posting, Escorpion said 47 houses were damaged by the landslide, 18 of which were buried in the mud, and forced some 58 families, composed of 223 individuals, to evacuate.
“They are still staying at our evacuation centers and others are staying with their relatives,” he said. Escorpion assured that the evacuees were provided with relief goods.
He said the Provincial Health Office also distributed some hygiene kits and medicines while some private individuals donated used clothing.
Earlier, Escorpion wanted the village placed under a state of calamity because the number of affected residents reached more than 20 percent of the 848 total population of Igpigus.
He said Igpigus’ council members were still gathering the necessary data for their village to be put under a state of calamity and enable it to use its PHP22,000 calamity fund.
Meanwhile, Escorpion expressed hope that the weather condition here would continue to improve so they could easily provide assistance to the victims of the landslide.
“We find it hard to go to the area to bring our relief goods because of the muddy roads,” he said. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
