President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. thumbed down proposals to place the entire country in a State of Calamity for one year due to Severe Tropical Storm Paeng, saying the damages caused by the typhoon were "highly localized."
Marcos said this after he led the distribution of assistance to typhoon victims in Noveleta, Cavite, on October 31. Noveleta, along with Kawit, is one of the hardest-hit areas in the province.
In a press briefing, the President said he did not think a nationwide state of calamity was necessary after he, himself, asked the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to submit a draft resolution on its declaration.
"I don't think it's necessary. I came to that conclusion in consultation with DENR," he told reporters on Monday.
"Sabi, hindi naman kasi extensive. Very-very-- not naman isolated-- highly localized ang mga damage (They said it's not extensive. It's not isolated, but the damage is highly localized)," he added.
"We're talking about the east coast Quezon, dito sa (here in) Cavite, and then Maguindanao," he continued.
The President further explained that other parts of the country did not need to be placed in a state of calamity.
"It does not need to have-- like in the Visayas, there's no need for a national calamity. For Region I, II, hindi naman kailangan mag-national calamity (the national state of calamity)," he said.
"I think we will focus better if we stay with the calamity status as we have now," he added.
With an expanse of over 1,100 kilometers, "Paeng" made a series of landfalls across the country over the weekend.
The NDRRMC reported on Monday that 98 people died from the typhoon. It affected over 1.812 million individuals across 17 regions.
Meanwhile, President Marcos said they have not finished estimating the damage "Paeng" caused in the agriculture sector.