The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has recorded more than P9 billion damage in infrastructure and agriculture as a result of the devastation wrought by tropical storm “Kristine” and typhoon “Leon” in Luzon and various parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

In its latest situational report, the NDRRMC also disclosed that the combined death toll from the two weather disturbances is now at 150 and with 29 other people in the missing list, adding that both “Kristine” and “Leon” displaced around 7.4 million people.

More than 330,600 individuals remain in evacuation centers.

Based on the data, the damage to infrastructure is around P6.4 billion while P2.9 billion is spent on agriculture. The damage was mostly due to widespread flooding that hit the Bicol region, Calabarzon and other parts of Luzon and the Visayas.

Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), said the national government is continuously sending assistance to the affected areas of “Kristine” and is also in full swing in responding to the adverse effects of “Leon” in northern Luzon.

Nepomuceno, however, said they are facing difficulties in the response system for areas in the northern part of Luzon, particularly Batanes and the Babuyan Islands but assured that comprehensive response programs are in place.

The backbone of this response, he said,  includes uniformed services such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fire Protection. 

"We have deployed over 1,200 teams comprising more than 12,800 trained personnel throughout the country, ready to respond wherever needed," said Nepomuceno. 

"The DSWD, on the other hand, has pre-positioned approximately two million food packs, and the Office of Civil Defense is supplying non-food items, hygiene kits, and medical supplies to prevent illness," he added.