A grim development spoiled the Christmas Day celebration in the country after the reported death count due to typhoon “Odette” further increased to 367, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) bared Saturday, Dec. 25.

The NDRRMC said in its latest situational report that 44 deaths have already been verified while 323 cases were undergoing validation.

Twenty-nine of the confirmed fatalities were recorded in Negros Occidental, three were logged in Palawan, and two each in Bohol, Bukidnon, Guimaras, Iloilo, Southern Leyte, and Misamis Oriental.

Authorities were also confirming 94 reported fatalities in Bohol, 66 in Negros Oriental, 58 in Cebu, 27 in Surigao del Norte, 21 in Dinagat Islands, 20 in Southern Leyte, 15 in Palawan, 11 in Negros Occidental, six in Agusan del Sur, two in Misamis Oriental, and one each in Butuan City, Leyte, and Misamis Occidental.

Meanwhile, there were also 62 persons reported to be missing while 732 individuals sustained various injuries.

“Ito pong mga figures na ito usually ay maga-adjust po ito dahil ongoing pa rin po ang validation at verification ng mga items at datos tungkol sa nadisgrasya nating mga kababayan (These figures will usually adjust because the validation and verification of the items and data of our affected fellowmen is still ongoing,” NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said in a radio interview over dzBB.

The number of affected persons also ballooned to 3,567,588 individuals or 918,877 families.

So far, around 319,000 individuals or 74,000 families were still staying in evacuation centers where they spent their Christmas.

But Timbal assured that the national government has been working round the clock to deliver immediate relief assistance to all of the affected individuals.

He said that the NDRRMC has conducted resource pooling of family food packs, canned goods, food stubs, bottled water, and water treatment equipment which were sent to badly hit areas including Siargao, Negros Island, Panay Island, Bohol, Limasawa Island, and Palawan among others.

“Lahat po iyan binabagsak natin sa local government units but the thing is kung ang mga kababayan natin ine-expect na house-to-house ang distribution ng mga relief items, medyo mahihirapan po ang LGUs dyan (All of these are transported to the local government units but the thing is, if our fellowmen expect a house-to-house delivery of the relief items, it will be a bit difficult for our LGUs),” Timbal said.

“Mismong tauhan ng LGUs biktima rin ng bagyo. Kaya po ang ating mungkahi sa ating mga kababayan, makipag-ugnayan sila sa kanilang mga barangay para matukoy kung kailan at saan sa area ang distribution ng relief para ito ay kanilang mapuntahan (Even the personnel of LGUs are also typhoon victims. That is why our suggestion to our people is that they should coordinate with their barangay officials to determine when and where the distribution of relief will take place so they can go there),” he said.

Meanwhile, the NDRRMC has also coordinated with the regional DRRM council in Caraga (Region 13) to verify the reported deaths of some typhoon victims due to diarrhea outbreak and dehydration.

According to local reports, at least seven children died while 60 more were hospitalized in Siargao Island due to a diarrhea outbreak.

“It only intensifies the necessity na hindi tumigil ang ating mga (for the non-stop conduct of our) relief supply run,” Timbal said.