A crew member of a cargo vessel died amidst strong winds and heavy rains while a collage of disaster spread over the towns in days of rain that swelled the rivers, submerged roads and ricefields, and brought down slopes.

Due to hours of moderate to heavy rains, several areas in Bohol have been flooded, prompting the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to place some parts of Bohol under orange rainfall alert and some under yellow rainfall alert.

The missing crewman of a cargo vessel which sank in Bohol waters on Tuesday was found dead Thursday morning.

Authorities said that a rescue team discovered Benjamin Orola’s lifeless body floating near Nocnocan Island, Talibon.

Orola, a resident of Tondo, Manila and the ill-fated M/V Meridian Tres’ crane operator, was the only one of 29 crewmen who remained missing after the vessel capsized.

Orola’s body has been claimed by his wife and is already set to be transported to Manila.

On Tuesday, around four hours after the vessel sank reportedly due to strong winds and currents, all of the crew except Orola were found.

The men on board the ship which was bound for Nasipit, Agusan del Norte were rescued by Coast Guard Search and Rescue Vessel 3504 and M/V Ocean Kingdom.

Among those rescued was the sunken vessel’s third mate, Noel Santocidad, a 45-year-old resident of Purok 5, Barangay Catarman, Dauis, Bohol.

Under PAGASA’s heavy rainfall warning system, “the orange  rainfall advisory is raised in areas where rainfall is between 15 mm and 30 mm within one hour, and flooding is a definite threat in communities under the orange alert.”

Yellow rainfall alert means “the expected rainfall amount is between 7.5 mm and 15 mm within one hour and likely to continue”.

By 4 p.m. on January 16, floodwater already submerged the Camayaan Bridge in barangay Rosario, Cortes.

Loboc River also overflowed and flooded the highway and nearby communities up to knee-high.

This prompted the local government unit to suspend the operation of Loboc River Cruise.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) under Anthony Damalerio reported that 38 families had evacuated due to flooding.

The 38 families included 11 from barangay Camayaan, Loboc comprising 35 individuals; eight families in Nueva Fuerza, Carmen; 15 families in Pondol, Loon; and four families comprising 19 individuals in Barangay Ilaud, Inabanga.

Barangay Jimilian, Loboc was also flooded.

In Sevilla, Vice Mayor Richard Bucag reported that the road from Sikatuna to Sevilla was rendered impassable and motorists had to take the Balilihan-Cambagui route in going to Sevilla or Bilar.

In Bilar, officials reported that BISU-Bilar and Bilar Central Elementary School campuses had also been flooded.

Bilar authorities were forced to close the Riverside Bridge to motorists, while the road leading to Pangas Falls was also closed due to landslide.

For his part, Trinidad MDRRMO Diego Medina reported that the Kinan-oan Creek overflowed and was impassable.

Ipil River in Poblacion, Trinidad was already under orange alert.

The floodwater has also overflowed the Kamambugan Bridge in Poblacion area and spread up to the roads.

The Kamambugan Bridge in Trinidad has been detoured though even prior to the flashflood on Monday as there was an ongoing road repair works.

The heavy rains also submerged the highways and ricefields in Trinidad, Clarin, and in several other towns.

Several areas in Catagbacan Sur in Loon have also been flooded.

Landslides and flashfloods were also reported in Tubigon, barangay Baang in Catigbian, barangay Hanopol in Balilihan, and barangays Rosario and Loreto in Cortes.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had suspended boat trips based on PAGASA gale warning yesterday.

Gov. Edgar Chatto ordered the suspension of classes for kindergarten, elementary and high school provincewide from at 2 pm on January 16 and the whole day yesterday to ensure the safety of schoolchildren from the flashfloods due to hours of moderate to heavy downpour.

    MOTORBOAT CAPSIZED

A motorboat ferrying tourists to Siquijor had also capsized on its way back to Panglao.

One of the three crewmembers remained missing since the tragedy on Monday.

One of the two survivors, Verjel Claraval, had been rescued in Sinipay Island in Zamboanga Del Norte.

Claraval’s mother contacted the PCG station in Panglao at around 4 p.m. yesterday, informing that her son was already safe.

The other survivor, Shino Dadios- -a resident of barangay Bolod in Panglao, was found at around 2 p.m.yesterday by residents of the coastal barangay of Tongo in Siquijor town, province of Siquijor. The residents of the village brought Dadios to a hospital for medical attention.

Dadios sustained an injury in the mouth area after the boat’s outrigger hit it when a big wave shoved the boat upon reaching the area between Balicsag Island and Siquijor.

Shino Dadios also told Siquijor police officers that he was with his nephew, Orly Dadios, but he lost the latter while they were swimming to the shore.

2 BOYS MISSING

In barangay Trinidad, two boys went missing after being carried away by strong river current at the height of heavy downpour on Monday.

PO3 Floriano Hinlayagan of Trinidad Police Station reported to the PDDRMO that 14-year-old Jomel Orivillo, a resident of barangay Santo Tomas was bathing in the river with friends at around 3 p.m. on Monday when the strong current swept him.

The other victim, four-year-old Troy Andales, from barangay Cabiguhan, had fallen into the ravaging river in their barangay at around 5 p.m. on Monday while watching coconuts being carried by the floods.

The PDRRMO also received a report that a landslide covered the road from barangay Sto. Niño to barangay Buyog in Getafe, and in barangay Buyog Norte in Balilihan.

RELIEF OPERATION

Upon the instruction of the governor, the PDRRMO yesterday convened the disaster relief teams of DSWD, PSWD and Red Cross to attend to the needs of residents in affected areas.

The governor surveyed the extent of damage in Tubigon, Catigbian, Balilihan, Cortes, Sikatuna, Loboc, Bilar, Carmen and Sagbayan.

He also “directed Provincial Agriculture Office Chief Larry Pamugas to immediately submit agriculture sector damage reports due to flooding”.

The governor also “dispatched engineering teams to landslide affected areas”.

Tzu Chi Foundation-Bohol under Joven Uy yesterday met PDRRMO head Anthony Damalerio and Batuan Mayor Antonino Jumawid to pledge relief operations to be undertaken in affected areas.

Damalerio said Tzu Chi Foundation-Bohol was the first non-government organization (NGO) to convey intention to help in the relief operation.