Mudflow hits Batangas village

BATANGAS, Philippines — Heavy downpour pounded the town of Laurel in Batangas, leaving several houses submerged in floodwater and mud on Sunday.

Among the most affected was Barangay Buso-Buso, whose residents were compelled to spend the night in a nearby evacuation center.

Residents panicked as floodwater entered their houses and destroyed their belongings.

“Hindi namin alam kung saan kami tatakbo. Mga 30 minutes sobrang laki ng baha, may lampas tao sa ibang lugar. Nag-iiyakan ang mga tao dahil hindi alam ang gagawin (We didn’t know where to run.

The flood rose quickly, some areas were submerged within 30 minutes. People were crying),” Cyrus Mendoza, Sangguniang Kabataan chairman, said.

Mendoza appealed to local and provincial government officials to help residents get back on their feet.

“Ang panawagan ko po kay Gov. Mandanas at kay mayor na sana po ay bigyan ng materyales ang mga bahay na nasira at matanggal ang putik sa aming mga kalsada (I am appealing to Gov. Mandanas and to our mayor to give us materials to repair our houses and clear the roads of mud),” he said.

Data from the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council showed at least 600 households were affected and 25 houses were destroyed in the calamity.

It has been barely five months since town residents fled from their homes due to the eruption of Taal Volcano in January.

In March, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology downgraded Taal Volcano to alert Level 1.

The agency had warned that heavy downpour could generate lahar flow along the major channels, particulary in some areas of Laurel town, where river tributaries are abound.