'Paeng' damage to agri, infra nears P12B — NDRRMC
The damage wrought by Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng” to agriculture and infrastructure has already reached almost P12 billion, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Saturday, Nov. 12.
In its latest report, the NDRRMC said damage to agriculture amounted to P6.30 billion while infrastructure loss was estimated at P5.44 billion.
Western Visayas (Region 6) was the most affected in terms of damage to agriculture as it incurred a loss amounting to P1.83 billion. It was followed by Cagayan Valley (Region 2) with P1.22 billion loss; Bicol (Region 5) with P924 million; CALABARZON (Region 4A) with 726 million; and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) with P640 million.
Meanwhile, the highest amount of infrastructure damage was reported in CALABARZON with P1.36 billion. It was followed by MIMAROPA (Region 4B) with P997 million loss; Bicol Region with P793 million; Cordillera Administration Region (CAR) with P737 million; and Cagayan Valley with P531 million.
The death toll was estimated at 160 including 132 fatalities that have been confirmed while the remaining 28 are still being validated. BARMM had the highest death count at 64, followed by Western Visayas with 37; and CALABARZON with 33.
There were also 29 people who are still missing while 146 others sustained different injuries.
The number of affected population also increased to 1,357,807 families composed of 5,410,102 individuals. Of this, there were 6,029 families or 25,672 individuals who were still staying in evacuation centers while 66,818 families or 32,236 individuals were being served outside temporary shelters.
National and local government units have distributed various relief assistance to the typhoon victims amounting to P296,586,966.18, the NDRRMC said.
Last Nov. 9, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Sec. Renato Solidum presided over a roundtable discussion on the assessment of the government’s actions during the onslaught of Paeng held at the NDRRM Operations Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Paeng made landfall over Camarines Sur last Oct. 29 and exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility two days later. It caused massive flooding and landslides across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.