THE capitol is now closely monitoring 10 villages considered as landslide-prone areas in Gingoog City as the low pressure area developed into tropical depression “Caloy” yesterday.
Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano dispatched a team Thursday night to Gingoog City while appealing to village chiefs in the area to cancel all travel and, instead, be on guard as the government’s weather bureau raised Signal no. 1 in the province yesterday morning.
Gingoog City, located east of Misamis Oriental, is one of the component cities of the province. The other component city is El Salvador, located in the province’s west coast.
Provincial administrator Edmundo Pacamalan Jr. said the provincial government on Friday also ordered the temporary closure of two public elementary schools in the hinter villages of Punong and Impaluhod for fear of landslide.
Pacamalan said that 10 villages, namely Punong, Libon, Anakan, Odiongan, Pangasihan, Malibud, Kamanikan, Kalipay, Sangalan, and Eureka are now being monitored closely.
Except for Anakan and Odiongan which are located along the national highways, all other villages were located in the hinterlands of Gingoog, Pacamalan said.
He said that a team from province environmental department has noted cracks on the grounds on some of the villages which have been declared as landslide prone areas while the other hinterland villages have history of flash floods and floods in the past.
As of 11 am Friday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration reported that tropical depression “Caloy” was accelerating and moving closer to Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental. (PNA)