More than 16,000 persons who were forced to flee their homes due to typhoon “Aghon” were still staying in evacuation centers as of Tuesday, May 28, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Based on the latest report from the NDRRMC, a total of 36,143 individuals (12,436 families) were affected by Aghon in Calabarzon (Region 4A), Mimaropa (Region 4B), Bicol (Region 5), Central Visayas (Region 7), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), and National Capital Region (NCR).

Out of this, there were 16,426 individuals (4,076 families) who were being served inside 161 evacuation centers, with at least 16,000 of them in Calabarzon which bore the brunt of the typhoon.

“Most of them are in Calabarzon but we have talked to the PDRRMO [provincial disaster risk reduction and management office] of Quezon and they told us that the flood especially in Mauban has already subsided and the people are slowly returning to their homes,” Office of Civil Defense (OCD) spokesperson Director Edgar Posadas said.

As of 11 a.m., Aghon was monitored at 450 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes in northern Luzon while moving northeastward at a speed of 20 km per hour, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

It is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday, May 30.

Meanwhile, the casualty count attributed to Aghon remains unchanged as the NDRRMC said it was validating five reported deaths due to Aghon: four in Calabarzon and one in Northern Mindanao (Region 10). Seven others were injured, all of them were in Bicol Region.

A state of calamity has been declared in the first and second districts of Quezon province due to the impact of Aghon, particularly into their agriculture sector, but Posadas said the OCD has yet to receive a copy of the declaration.

The declaration covered Tayabas City, Pagbilao, Lucban, Sampaloc, Mauban, Real, Infanta, General Dakar, Polillo, Panukulan, Burdeos, Patnanungan, and Jomalig in the first district; and Lucena City, Candelaria, Dolores, San Antonio, Sariaya, and Tiaong in the second district.

“This declaration will mobilize the fund allotted by the local government in times of calamity so they can serve better and quicker the needs of the affected residents,” Posadas explained.

Relief supplies were being poured in areas hit by Aghon to address the daily needs of the typhoon victims. 

A total of P3.67 million worth of food packs, hygiene kits, and other non-food items were distributed in the affected regions.

Posadas said the NDRRMC response clusters have a total of P926.77 million in standby fund ready to be used by the different government agencies to hasten recovery efforts.

Some P2.5 billion worth of food and non-food items were also prepositioned at the NDRRM Operations Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City and its 17 regional offices nationwide to ensure the wellbeing of the typhoon victims.

“It’s okay to overprepare. It’s better to be OA if it will mean that our people will be safe rather than procrastinate and end up lacking in preparation. We will be sorry in the end,” Posadas said.