2 VILLAGES IN BAGUIO, BENGUET
SINKING DUE TO 'PEPENG'
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - Army reservists load relief goods bound for Kalinga – one of the
northern Luzon provinces battered by typhoon ‘Pepeng’ – at the Baguio City
social welfare and development office. ARTEMIO DUMLAO
|BAGUIO CITY , Philippines]
BAGUIO, OCTOBER 9, 2009, (STAR) By Artemio Dumlao - More than a hundred residents in two mountain communities here and in nearby Itogon town in Benguet have fled their homes as their villages have reportedly begun to sink following the onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng.”
City disaster officials are closely monitoring the situation in Sitios 7 and 8 in Pinsao proper after the continuous heavy rainfall has left a huge crack in the ground.
Lawyer Peter Fianza, action officer of the City Disaster Coordinating Council, said more than 100 families have sought shelter in their relatives’ homes elsewhere in the city.
Villager Ernesto Ganaden, whose two-story house is being threatened to be buried in the event of a major landslide, said his family has evacuated.
[PHOTO AT LEFT - Residents in Kilometer 13 in La Trinidad, Benguet salvage whatever they can from their houses buried in a landslide triggered by continuous heavy rains spawned by tropical depression ‘Pepeng.’ Andy Zapata Jr.]
“Haan min ammo aramiden mi (We do not know what to do),” he said.
The huge crack in Pinsao reportedly began during typhoon “Kiko” and further widened due to tropical storm “Ondoy” and Pepeng.
Authorities have warned the residents not to return to their homes to prevent loss of lives.
In Itogon town, wide cracks in the ground have similarly placed residents in Barangay Luneta in a dangerous situation.
Authorities in Benguet are still looking for an evacuation area as the school earlier designated as temporary shelter for the affected villagers had been washed out by rampaging floodwaters at the height of Pepeng.
The eroded dirt mountain roads leading to the village have hampered relief efforts, prompting Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan to seek the help of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.
5,000 Metro workers lose jobs after 'Ondoy' By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star) Updated October 06, 2009 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - At least 5,000 workers face unemployment after typhoon “Ondoy” forced several factories in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to close down, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) reported yesterday.
TUCP, the country’s largest trade union, said workers from Indophil Textile Co. in Bulacan and MY San Biscuits in Cainta, Rizal will temporarily lose their jobs as their employers rush to repair their flood-damaged equipment.
“The workers of these factories will stop working and will not be getting their pay for at least a month because the companies need to undertake major repair of their machines and other equipment,” TUCP spokesman Alex Aguilar said, noting that Indophil employs 2,500 workers while MY San employs around 300 workers.
Aside from those facing temporary displacement, Aguilar said another 2,000 TUCP union members also lost their homes as a result of typhoon Ondoy.
“We are only reporting about TUCP members, so you could just imagine how many workers were severely affected by Ondoy,” he said.
According to Aguilar, TUCP has been extending aid and relief goods to typhoon-affected TUCP members and residents of a community in Marikina.
“We are distributing relief goods and conducting medical mission, but we can only do so much,” he said.
Earlier, the Department of Labor and Employment called on employers in Metro Manila to adopt alternative measures, including flexible working arrangements, to prevent displacement.