LEGAZPI CITY—Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda has appealed for relief assistance and donations for his native town of Polangui and four other towns in his province that were heavily devastated by Typhoon “Nina” on Christmas Day.
The destruction wrought by “Nina” on Albay is estimated to be the worst recorded in the past 10 years, even worse than the devastation inflicted in 2006 by Super Typhoon “Reming.” Power has not yet been restored in the province, Salceda said, and authorities have said it may take much longer to do so.
Salceda said Polangui and the neighboring towns of Libon and Oas, both in Albay’s third district, were similarly ruined along with Tiwi and Malinao in the first district. “They all urgently need assistance,” he said.
Polangui, Oas and Libon are rich agricultural towns that account for 72 percent of Albay’s annual rice harvest, the lawmaker said.
Polangui and Oas, both within the eyewall of Typhoon “Nina,” have a combined population of 163,392, and each is bigger than Virac, Catanduanes (population 73,650) that was also hit directly by the typhoon.
Three deaths were reported in Polangui, the only casualties recorded in “Nina’s” aftermath, breaking Albay’s zero-casualty record during disasters when Salceda was governor for nine years. The lawmaker now resides in and represents the second district, which suffered less damage.
“In Polangui and Libon, disaster authorities reported that ‘Nina’ was worse than ‘Reming’ as they experienced 255 kph winds, 312 mm of 24-hour rainfall, and the collapse of a major dike in barangays Bangag and Calzada in Oas,” Salceda posted on Facebook.
Seventy percent of houses made of light materials were destroyed, rows upon rows blended with the ricefields just as flattened out and many houses were unroofed, he added.
Polangui saw 5,425 houses partially damaged and 10,431 totally damaged, with infrastructure damages reaching over P213 million and agricultural damages at P98.8 million according to a partial report.
Libon town saw over P300 million in infrastructure damage and agricultural losses at P128.7 million as 4,320 houses were totally damaged and 2,540 homes were partially damaged.
“I ardently seek your assistance for relief, preferably commodities – rice, canned goods and other food items, water, clothing, household necessities like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, housing materials or tarps, and medicines,” Salceda said in his Facebook post.
When he was governor, the Albay lawmaker contributed heavily to the relief operations and rehabilitation of calamity victims in other regions through the highly popular Team Albay disaster response group, which he personally headed.
Salceda has assigned two well-organized and recognized civil society entities to receive cash donations — Dios Mabalos Po Foundation, Inc., a Galing Pook awardee, with BPI bank account no. 3303-1931-96, and Team Albay Youth Organizations, Inc., a multi-awarded Hall of Fame Gawad Kalasag awardee, with MetroBank Account No. 595004604.
For inquiries, donors may contact Meds Villanueva of Dios Mabalos po at (0917) 521-3883 and Alfred Nimo of Team Albay at (0927) 665-4715.