Old acacia fell, but Cebu City otherwise spared

Despite last Tuesday’s bad weather, there were no reports of casualties, landslides or floods in Cebu City, an official said.

Nagiel Bañacia, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said that except for a century-old acacia tree that was uprooted by strong winds brought about by tropical depression Basyang, there were no reports of damage in the city. The tree was located outside the Sacred Heart Center on D. Jakosalem St.

“We have zero incident and we have no problem so far,” he told reporters.

In the mountain barangays, Bañacia said, there was no report of swollen rivers or landslides as well.

Meanwhile, Mayor Tomas Osmeña defended his initial decision to push through with classes last Tuesday despite the bad weather. “I have been very reluctant to even call a public holiday even with the typhoon signal because to me, a typhoon is not a threat. It’s only a threat when the winds are going over 100 kilometers per hour,” he said.

The mayor, though, clarified that what prompted him to eventually suspend classes in all levels last Tuesday afternoon was the warning of a possible heavy downpour.

However, some private schools reportedly continued holding classes despite Osmeña’s declaration.

“Will I do something against them (schools)? No, I will not. But, if there had been a loss of lives during heavy rain, they would have been criminally liable because I gave a warning. Maayo na lang (It’s a good thing) nothing happened,” he said. /