Calamities, crimes, tragic incidents, and other significant events shaped some of the biggest stories in Mindanao in 2024.
The year kicked off with a massive flooding that hit most of the regions due to the combined effects of the shear line, Northeast Monsoon (Amihan), and the trough of the low pressure area (LPA).
The massive flooding and landslides in the first two months left more than P2.6 billion worth of damage to infrastructure in Regions 10, 11, and CARAGA, according to the report of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as of February 24, 2024.
Up to 4,822 houses were damaged in the three regions.
Meanwhile, the damage to agriculture was pegged at P558 million.
Floods and landslides affected around 1.5 million individuals or 471,000 families in 818 barangays in Northern Mindanao, Davao, SOCCSKSARGEN, CARAGA, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Police said the number of fatalities due to the flooding and landslides reached 17, as of February 5. This was before the deadly landslide in Maco, Davao de Oro occurred.
MACO LANDSLIDE
As bad weather conditions prevailed in early February, a landslide hit Maco, Davao de Oro on February 6 and claimed 93 lives.
The landslide affected areas of four barangays and buried some houses, a barangay hall, and the terminal of a bus company.
The landslide occured near a mining site where employees were working in three shifts for its 24-hour operation. Some workers were on their way home when the landslide hit.
Like a miracle, a three-year-old girl survived the tragedy and was pulled out of the rubble two days later.
More than 1,000 families were affected and nearly 100 houses were damaged.
EL NIÑO
From incessant rains that triggered extensive flooding, temperatures soared across the island in the next few months, prompting schools to shift learning modalities.
From March to early June, several areas in Caraga, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM, SOCCSKSARGEN, and Davao were forecast to experience higher heat index reaching to a dangerous level.
State weather bureau PAGASA said the danger level heat index is from 42 to 51 degrees Celsius.
Heat index is the measure of the temperature that a person feels, which is different from the actual air temperature.
Because of the hot weather, some schools suspended face-to-face classes while other schools in General Santos City implemented strategies to protect the students from too much exposure to the sun.
These strategies include allowing students to wear comfortable clothes and installing water dispenser in every classroom so students will have access to drinking water to keep them hydrated.
Based on the DOH’s event-based surveillance and response system, some of the heat-related illnesses from January 1 to April 18 were from SOCCSKSARGEN.
The hot weather and the El Niño phenomenon also affected the agriculture sector in Zamboanga Peninsula, Central Mindanao, Davao, BARMM, and SOCCSKSARGEN.
Some areas also declared a state of calamity due to the effects of El Niño, including BARMM, Zamboanga City, South Cotabato, and eight barangays in Alabel, Sarangani.
FIREWORKS EXPLOSION
Another tragic incident was the explosion of fireworks from a warehouse in Zamboanga City on June 29, leaving five people dead and more than 20 others injured.
The explosion resulted in a fire that lasted for almost three hours.
Because of the impact, the wall of the warehouse and other neighboring structures and establishments were also damaged.
More than a week later, around 30 people were injured when authorities were about to dispose of the fireworks taken from the warehouse where an explosion occurred earlier.
At least 19 of those who were injured were personnel of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine Marines. The rest were civilians.
DENGUE
The number of dengue cases in Davao region went up in the first quarter of 2024.
DOH-11 data showed that cases reached 9,073 from January 1 to June 22, 2024, which is 26.03 percent higher compared to the number in the same period in 2023.
At least 21 people also died from dengue in Misamis Oriental as of January to July 28, 2024.
Digos City was placed under a state of calamity due to a dengue outbreak, after the city logged 1,191 cases from January to September 3, 2024, with nine reported deaths.
Over 5,000 cases were recorded in Bukidnon from January to August 2024, while dengue cases in Tagum City reached 2,277 from January to first week of November.
COC FILING FOR 1st BARMM POLLS
In November, a total of 109 aspirants filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the first BARMM elections.
From the 10 approved regional political parties, eight have filed their manifestation of intent to participate in the 2025 parliamentary polls.
The poll body has already made preparations should the first BARMM parliamentary elections is postponed.
Meanwhile, the Province of Sulu may not be able to participate in the Bangsamoro elections as it was excluded from BARMM based on the decision of the Supreme Court (SC).
Early September, SC upheld the validity of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), but it also declared Sulu is not part of the BARMM since the majority of Sulu voters voted no on the plebiscite for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 2019.
SEARCH FOR QUIBOLOY
2024 was also stirred by police operations that put Mindanao in the spotlight.
Among these police operations was the search for Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in Davao City.
Authorities started the search after Quiboloy went into hiding shortly after the Senate issued an arrest order against him for refusing to attend the chamber’s hearings.
Quiboloy is facing charges for alleged violation of the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act and qualified human trafficking charges.
Courts in Davao and Pasig issued arrest warrants against Quiboloy and five others in April.
Law enforcement officers started serving the warrants as early as June at the KOJC properties in Davao City where Quiboloy was believed to be present, but to no avail.
In the last week of August, around 2,000 police personnel trooped to the KOJC compound in Davao City to serve the warrant.
KOJC members accused the police of harassment as they complained about how authorities carried out the service of the warrant.
The operations at the KOJC compound lasted for 15 days before Quiboloy decided to turn himself in to the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) on September 8.
WAR VS ILLEGAL DRUGS
Still in Davao City, at least seven drug suspects who allegedly fought back against authorities were killed a few days after Mayor Sebastian Duterte declared a war against illegal drugs.
Police claimed that the seven drug suspects killed from March 23 to 26 fought back against the operating teams. They assured that all anti-illegal drug operations followed the rules of procedure.
Investigation into the drug-related killings was conducted.
Duterte then condemned the removal of 35 police personnel from their duties due to alleged drug-related killings.
ABDUCTION OF AMERICAN VLOGGER
Meanwhile, American content creator Elliot Eastman was abducted in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte on October 17.
Eastman was abducted by four armed men from his house. He was shot in the leg when he refused to go with the suspects and forced to board a banca.
Authorities have been searching for him, but the Police Regional Office-Zamboanga (PRO-9) said on December 5 that Eastman may already be dead based on accounts of one of the suspects arrested and a witness.
The witness reportedly said Eastman died in the banca while being transported away from the town and his abductors threw his body into the sea.
The suspect arrested corroborated the witness’ accounts.
Police filed kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges against four identified suspects.
POGO
Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation-Davao (NBI-11) arrested 59 alleged POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations) workers in Panabo City, Davao del Norte on December 6.
Of the 59, 55 are Chinese; three are Malaysians; and one is Filipino.
NBI-11 summoned those allegedly involved in the POGO operation, including some government officials authorities did not identify.
POWER CRISIS
The first two weeks of December were not good for residents of Siargao Island and Bucas Grande Island in Surigao del Norte as the two areas experienced prolonged power outage.
The power interruption started on December 1 and it lasted for 13 days before power supply was restored.
According to the Siargao Electric Cooperative Inc. (SIARELCO), the power outage was caused by a fault at a section of the submarine cable situated on sharp-edged corals. The cable reportedly kept in contact with the sharp corals, especially when the current was strong, which eventually damaged the insulation.
The power outage led to problems in water supply and has affected the economy and the tourism sector in the two islands.
Because of the prolonged power outage, the islands of Siargao and Bucas Grande were placed under a state of calamity.
PANGUIL BAY BRIDGE OPENING
Looking at the brighter side of things, Mindanao marked a new milestone in its travel industry following the inauguration of the longest water-spanning bridge in the island on September 27.
No less than President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. led the opening of the 3.17-kilometer Panguil Bay Bridge that links the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental.
With the opening of the bridge, travel time is reduced to seven minutes from more than one hour and a half.
The opening of the bridge is expected to spur economic activities in the region.
(With reports from GMA News Online)
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