ILOILO CITY -- A state of calamity is being considered in the province of Iloilo owing to the multi-million peso damages caused by massive flooding during tropical depression Agaton.

The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (Iloilo PDRRMC), chaired by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., has urged the Iloilo Provincial Board to declare a state of calamity in the province to expedite the release of funds and speed up the post-disaster recovery.
Based on data, the flood affected 672,497 persons in 20 towns in the province’s 4th and 5th Districts.
Although there was no storm signal during the storm, the flood brought by Agaton’s rains wrought damage to the province’s agricultural sector valued at more than P705 million. In particular, damages to rice produce reached P203.5 million while damages in the fisheries sector reached P178.9 million.
There are also several government infrastructure that were damaged including roads and bridges, although the extent of the damage has yet to be determined.
It is unclear when the Iloilo Provincial Board convenes to discuss the suggestion raised by the Iloilo PDRRMC.
Meanwhile, the Defensor administration is also looking into the concerns that flooding in northern Iloilo occurred as an indirect impact of developing farmlands into corn farms.