SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA: The strong winds brought by Super Typhoon Leon (international name Kong-rey) destroyed a house, damaged four houses, and caused the preemptive evacuation of 12 families in Antique.
According to Philippines News Agency, the affected houses were primarily constructed with light materials and located in upland barangays, making them particularly vulnerable to the typhoon’s strong winds. Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer III Michael Tolentino highlighted that four of the damaged houses were situated in San Remigio, while one was in the municipality of Laua-an.
In response to the typhoon, 12 families were preemptively evacuated on October 29. Out of these, five families were from San Jose de Buenavista, four from San Remigio, two from Valderrama, and one from Laua-an. Most of the evacuated families opted to stay with relatives rather than in evacuation centers, except for two families who took shelter at Moscoso Elementary School in San Jose de Buenavista.
Local govern
ment units (LGUs) have extended assistance to the affected families. In addition to the evacuations, classes remained suspended in 17 LGUs due to the adverse weather conditions. However, classes resumed in the town of Tobias Fornier as the weather improved.
The suspension of in-person classes affected students from pre-school to senior high school in several areas, including San Jose de Buenavista, Hamtic, Pandan, Barbaza, Tibiao, Culasi, Caluya, Sibalom, San Remigio, and Libertad, as well as all educational levels in Laua-an, Valderrama, Sebaste, Belison, Patnongon, Anini-y, and Bugasong.