125. #CagayanNeedsHelp #IsabelaNeedsHelp

    #CagayanNeedsHelp #IsabelaNeedsHelp
Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano
29 November 2020

While the whole nation focused on the worst flooding in Metro Manila, since Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009, brought about by the powerful and deadly Category 4-equivalent Typhoon Ulysses, a netizen on Facebook, shared a video of residents shouting for help in Barangay Linao East, Tuguegarao City amid massive flooding in Cagayan and Isabela provinces. The hash tag #CagayanNeedsHelp emerged as top trending on social media, including #IsabelaNeedsHelp, after more distressed residents appealed for help. Floods and landslides wreaked havoc in the northern provinces of Cagayan and Isabela on November 13 due to the rains brought by Ulysses, internationally known as Vamco, and earlier typhoons; Pepito, Quinta, Rolly, Siony and Tonyo.

The Provincial Government of Isabela (PGI) headed by Governor Rodito Albano who also chairs the country’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) Gawad Kalasag Hall of Famer, forecasted and made the necessary preparation a month before the floods devastated northeastern Luzon. The rains swelled all tributaries of the Cagayan River coming from the provinces of Cagayan, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Aurora. Local authorities called it the worst in the region in four decades since Typhoon Osang (Kim) on July 1980.

In my hometown Cabatuan, we also monitored the weather since our municipality nestles on the path of the winding Magat River and continuous rains would easily bloat the mighty river and surely flood the localities along its banks. Ulysses landfall was before midnight of November 11 at the shoe-shaped island Municipality of Patnanungan, Quezon (only 244 kms from our town) and left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at past midnight (1:30 AM) of November 13. In the early morning, a team of volunteers spearheaded by a lady employee of the Provincial Governor’s Office who is also my kababayan, initiated to gather old clothes from her friends and relatives in Cabatuan for the victims of the typhoon and the flooding. Donations from different towns and from Isabeleños from all walks of life poured in the next two weeks which includes used and new cloths, blankets, detergent, soap, bottled mineral water, canned goods, instant noodles, slippers, toothpastes, toothbrushes, small alcohol bottles and even matches. Help in cash were also sent which was used to purchase the much needed gallons of mineral water, slippers, detergent and soaps. The team travelled to affected barangays in the towns of San Pablo, Cabagan, Santo Tomas, Santa Maria, Tumauini, Naguilian, San Manuel, Aurora and in the cities of Ilagan and Cauayan between November 14 and 28 and personally handed over the goods to the distressed flood victims. On November 16, the team extended help to our dear kababayans in the capital city of Tuguegarao in Cagayan province particularly in the evacuation center at the Tuguegarao Northeast Central School in barangay Tanza.

PGI, as always, extended all available resources to all local government units (LGUs) as senators and the vice president visited the province and the neighboring sister-province of Cagayan and offered aid. The president made an aerial inspection of the valley and saw the great flood first hand. National agencies made pledges and made sure the necessary help and assistance would reach the LGUs as soon as possible.

Aside from the continuous rains, local authorities blamed the massive flooding due to the release of large amounts of water of the Magat Dam at the boundary of Ramon town and Alfonso Lista, Ifugao which opened all its seven gates to prevent dam failure as it approached its spilling point. The National Irrigation Authority (NIA) has stood firm on its position that Magat Dam’s water discharge “is not the main cause of massive flooding in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan.” It is noted that the carrying capacity of the Cagayan River is 25,400 m3/s while the maximum volume of water released from the Magat Dam is only 6,706 m3/s. NIA also clarified that they gave ample warnings about Ulysses’ possible effects to the areas as state meteorologists predicted that the typhoon would hit Quezon province and Central Luzon as well as areas near the Cagayan Valley and Magat Dam.

Before the turn of the millennium, I scribbled the history of the 22 barangays of Cabatuan one of which is Barangay Luzon. During my research, I found out that in 1936, a great overflow of the Cagayan and Magat Rivers occurred which submerged numerous barrios along its banks which included Barrio San Lucas, which was then administratively part of the Municipal District of Antatet (now Luna town). The residents were forced to seek shelter in the adjacent Barrio of Sarrateña. The flood did not subside in San Lucas and the evacuees never returned again. Several years later, the former territory of Barrio San Lucas was ceded to Barrio Sarrateña which was later renamed to Luzon and became a part of the newly created town of Cabatuan in 1949. This proved that it is not only now that the wrath of the Magat was felt.

In the past two decades, I witnessed the overflow of the Magat and Cagayan Rivers especially during continuous rains whenever weather disturbances hit the valley. Rice and corn fields, in such short time, were flooded which eventually spilled to residential areas. The concreting of streets and the significant elevation of barangay, municipal, provincial and national thoroughfares plus the lack of operational drainage contributed to the instant rise of water. The heavy and non-stop rains are probably an effect of climate change. Our denuded forests in the Cordilleras and parts of the Sierra Madre can no longer retain excess rainwater and prevent extreme run-offs. Heavy siltation of the Cagayan River was also among the factors blamed for the inundation.

The Great Flood of the Valley of 2020 brought much damage not only to agriculture and infrastructure but also worst traumas experienced by the locals. The Great Flood taught us to be more resilient, prepared and to be ever watchful whenever natural calamities visits our localities. It also reminds us to reforest our mountains, rehab our rivers and love Mother Earth dearly. Lastly, the Great Flood gave us the chance to renew our relationship with our Creator for He is the divine Savior whenever Cagayan needs help or Isabela needs help.