Mati City, 10 municipalities in DavOr suspend classes, work

FOLLOWING the trough of the Low-Pressure Area (LPA) currently affecting Northern and Southern Mindanao, several local government units (LGUs) in the province of Davao Oriental have collectively suspended their classes and government and private offices until further notice.

LGUs that have released their respective Executive Orders (EO) since January 29 and 30, 2024, are the City of Mati, municipalities of Baganga, Governor Generoso, Cateel, Manay, Caraga, San Isidro, Boston, Tarragona, Banaybanay, and Lupon.

This is in line with Section 2 of Presidential Executive Order No. 66, series of 2012, which states that “In the absence of typhoon signals from Pagasa, localized cancellation or suspension of classes and work in government offices may be implemented by local chief executives.”

Based on the daily bulletin board by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Davao Oriental will experience moderate to heavy rains for the next few days due to the current surge of Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) and trough of LPA, which may cause landslides and heavy flash floods, particularly in floodprone or low-lying areas.

Currently, the Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao Oriental (PLGU-Davao Oriental) alongside its respective Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils (MDRRMCs) reported significant incidents of landslides in Barangay Marayag in Lupon, and highway in Barangay Aragon, Cateel. However, clearing operations are now ongoing.

Meanwhile, personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and other government members of the humanitarian disaster risk have successfully rescued families affected by flash floods in Barangay San Miguel, Cateel and other areas in Caraga in the said province. (Read full story on sunstar.com. ph/davao)