Aklan town under state of calamity after Opong slams 35 barangaysy. ~ HUMAN RIGHTS PROMOTIONS

Friday, September 26, 2025

Aklan town under state of calamity after Opong slams 35 barangaysy.

Friday, September 26, 2025 Herbert Curia - Promoter No comments

From the Website of INQUIRER
linkshttps://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2116034/aklan-town-under-state-of-calamity-after-opong-slams-35-barangays

Opong affects 31,000 across Negros Occidental
links: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2116061/opong-affects-31000-across-negros-occidenta l

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Aklan town under state of calamity after Opong slams 35 barangaysy.

ILOILO CITY — To address the widespread destruction wrought by Severe Tropical Storm “Opong” (international name: Bualoi), the municipal council of Ibajay in Aklan province declared the municipality under a state of calamity on Friday, September 26, 2025.

Through Resolution No. 2025-061, the council unanimously authorized the use of the municipal Calamity Fund to support relief operations, rehabilitation, and recovery.

The resolution said Opong made a direct hit on all of the 35 barangays in Ibajay, inflicting “extensive damage and destruction to public infrastructure, power, communication and other utilities, crops, livestock, fisheries, homes and private properties.” It emphasized the urgency of deploying relief efforts and restoring essential services to vulnerable residents.

“Due to the disaster and displacement … relief operations must be undertaken to assist the victims and displaced families,” reads the document. The municipal government and its component barangays are empowered to tap their respective calamity funds for emergency response, subject to normal accounting and auditing rules.”

The resolution was adopted in a special session on Friday, the same day Opong struck Ibajay. It was certified correct by Secretary Mujane Begonia C. Miroy, attested by Vice Mayor Nestor Francisco M. Inocencio (the presiding officer), and approved by Mayor Jose Miguel M. Miraflores.

While detailed local statistics for Ibajay remained pending, the broader Western Visayas region also felt the storm’s effects.

As of September 25, several parts of Western Visayas—including Aklan—were placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 as Opong’s winds and rain bands approached.

The Office of Civil Defense for Region 6 instructed local government units to activate Incident Management Teams (IMTs) and preposition relief goods, search and rescue gear, and other resources in anticipation of impact.

In the region’s port hubs, 1,284 passengers were reported stranded due to the suspension of sea travel following the storm as of Friday.