Several areas in Dinagat Islands inaccessible due to blocked roads —Bag-ao

Several islets and far-flung areas in Dinagat Islands are still difficult to reach because the roads are blocked by damage from Typhoon Odette's wrath, Governor Kaka Bag-ao said on Monday.

In a Balitanghali interview, Governor Kaka Bag-ao said that the road clearing operations by the local government unit (LGU), with the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), are still ongoing in the province.

“Naabot ko na ‘yung parang poblacion, ‘yung pito, pero ‘yung mga ibang islands na mas maliliit at tsaka ‘yung mga coastal barangay na walang access to the highway, tsaka ‘yung malalayong barangay, hindi pa,” she said.

(I have reached the seven municipalities, but not the islets, coastal barangays that don’t have access to the highway, and the far-flung barangays.)

The governor said that she is only getting information regarding the unreached areas through people who were walking on foot to update her directly.

“Hindi ko pa maikot lahat eh kasi hindi pa tapos ‘yung clearing namin. Marami pa ring poste ng kuryente na nakabalandra sa kalsada. Marami pa ring puno na nakaharang sa daan,” she said.

(I couldn’t tour around them as we haven’t finished with our clearing operations yet. There are still lots of electric posts and fallen trees that obstruct the roads.)

Bag-ao reiterated that roughly 95% of the whole Dinagat Islands was damaged due to Typhoon Odette.

“Walang bahay, walang mga bubong, walang gobyernong building na natira, lahat washed out,” she said.

(There are no houses, no roofs. Even the government buildings were washed out.)

At least 14 people were also reported killed amid the storm onslaught in the province.

Bag-ao said that seven of these deaths were directly caused by the calamity, while others were medically related. The casualties were then brought to makeshift hospitals.

Two others were missing after a storm surge in a coastal barangay facing Siargao Island.

Further, she kindly asked those who would want to donate to also look for ways for the relief goods to reach the province as their boats were also destroyed.

“‘Yung lahat po ng bangka namin ay wasak. Hindi namin talaga pwede i-counterpart, wala po talaga akong bangka ngayon. ‘Yung nasave naming maliliit na fishing boats parang tatlo o dalawang tao lang ‘yung kasya tsaka isang sakong bigas, wala na. Hanggang ganoon lang,” she said.

(All our boats were wrecked. We cannot counterpart as we really don’t have boats right now. Those we have saved could only accommodate two to three people and a sack of rice.) — Giselle Ombay/BM, GMA News