MORE NEWS, PANGASINAN

Pangasinan town placed under state of calamity
By Jennlyn Mondejar

SAN NICOLAS, Pangasinan – Town officials here declared a state of calamity Wednesday following massive flooding in at least seven barangays caused by a breach in a dike.

Mayor Leoncio Saldivar III said the Calaocan dike along the Ambayaoan River was breached by about 100 meters, causing heavy flooding in the barangays of Calaocan, Cabitnongan, Poblacion East, Poblacion West, Casaratan, Sobol and San Roque.

Saldivar said more than 600 families were evacuated to the West Central and Calaocan elementary schools, while others sought temporary shelter with their relatives.
Saldivar said this was the first time in his four years as mayor that such heavy flooding occurred.
The municipal government distributed relief goods to affected residents and while Gov. Amado Espino Jr. deployed a relief and rescue team, including heavy equipment and rubber boats.
Saldivar said it would take about three to five days for floodwaters to subside.

He said they had undertaken sandbagging along the banks of the 500-meter wide Ambayaoan River but floodwaters from upstream came rampaging and breached the Calaocan dike.

Saldivar said he talked to Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and other concerned authorities to include Ambayaoan River in the Agno Flood Control System project under President Arroyo’s 10-point agenda.

Saldivar said they needed about P127 million for the Ambayaoan River dike, although Engineer Fidel Ginez, DPWH regional director and AFCS head, recently assured him of an initial P10 million for the project.


Officials declare dengue outbreak in P’sinan town
By Jennelyn Mondejar

CALASIAO, Pangasinan – A dengue outbreak was declared here Thursday by officials after 23 out of 24 barangays have 118 confirmed dengue cases, including one death.

Mayor Roy Macanlalay told newsmen he discussed the move to declare the dengue outbreak with Vice Mayor Ferdinand Galang and provincial and regional health offices.

Macanlalay said the town last had a dengue outbreak in 1998 when 271 residents were afflicted with the mosquito-borne disease. In 2006, there were 110 dengue victims.

The number of confirmed dengue cases from January to Aug. 15 this year was several times higher than the six cases during the same period last year.

Hardest-hit barangays this year are San Miguel with 15 cases, Malabago with 14, and Lasip with 11.

Most of the victims were children, and the oldest was 55 years old. The lone fatality was a teenager.

Macanlalay said they decided to declare the dengue outbreak to boost the efforts of the municipal, provincial and regional health offices to prevent further spread of the disease.

The number of dengue patients is expected to increase with the rainy season, Macanlalay said.