The damage to agriculture and infrastructure in Davao Region (Region 11) and Caraga (Region 13) due the effects of shearline has reached P82 million and P26 million respectively, data from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed on Monday, Jan. 22.

OCD spokesperson Edgar Posadas said initial estimate in agricultural damage was pegged at P82 million in the two affected regions, with majority of the affected goods being crops and rice.

"This is subject to change because with the improvement in the weather, those conducting rapid assessment led by officials from the local government units (LGUs) can now go out," Posadas said in a public briefing.

Meanwhile, a situation report from the NDRRMC said that infrastructure damage amounted to P26.87 million in Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte, both in Region 11.

The extend of infrastructure damage in Caraga has yet to be validated. 

Further, Posadas mentioned that there were 20 totally damaged and 142 partially damaged houses in both regions.

Meanwhile, the death toll related to the bad weather in Davao Region further increased to 16.

Posadas said there were 12 fatalities in Davao de Oro: 11 in the municipality of Monkayo and one in Maragusan; two in Davao City; and one each in Davao Oriental and Davao Occidental.

He said majority of the deaths were due to landslides and flashfloods.

The shearline has also affected 152,642 families composed of 670,807 individuals in Davao Region and Caraga.

Of this, there were 8,590 families or 32,116 individuals that were displaced by flooding and landslides.

"We elevated our status to Blue Alert for our Emergency Operations Center in OCD Caraga and OCD Region 11. That means we have additional personnel augmenting our operations including those from the uniformed services, and that is complemented by our Blue Alert here at Camp Aguinaldo," Posadas said.

At present, Posadas said there were a total of 11 areas that were placed under a state of calamity due to the bad weather in Mindanao, seven of which are in Davao Region and four others in Caraga.

The national government and local government units in the affected regions have provided a total of P52 million worth of relief assistance to the affected individuals in the form of family food packs, family kits, and hygiene kits.

"I'd like to reiterate that the government is here. Government resources [are] available if those from the local government are not enough. We have regional resources as facilitated by the OCD, DILG [Department of the Interior and Local Government], and DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development)," the OCD spokesperson noted.