By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
After convening for a situation briefing with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier Monday, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) issued timely updates about the effects of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay.
In a press briefing led by PCO Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, OCD Assistant Secretary Laurence Mina and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian presented figures outlining the human toll of the inclement weather and the assistance extended by the government to those affected by heavy rains, respectively.
Secretary Gatchalian pointed out the extensive effects of the enhanced habagat, which continues to affect the following regions:
- National Capital Region
- Region I (Ilocos)
- Region II (Cagayan Valley)
- Cordillera Administrative Region
- Region III (Central Luzon)
- Region IV-A (Calabarzon)
- Region IV-B (Mimaropa)
- Region V (Bicol)
- Region VI (Western Visayas)
- Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)
As of press time, there are 2,070 barangays affected by the voluminous downpour, equivalent to 384,527 affected families or a total of 1,316,978 individuals.
These displaced persons have received 54,370 family food packs (FFPs); 2,722 ready-to-eat-food (RTEF) boxes; and 1,376 non-food items, as well as P928,000 in financial support provided through the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Program, which forms part of the P39.37 million in humanitarian assistance that was distributed to affected families.
Furthermore, to reassure the citizenry of sufficient headroom to continue providing aid and relief, the Social Welfare chief said that the agency maintains a stockpile of 4,980,095 family food packs and 245,474 non-food items prepositioned in warehouses across the country—complementing P1.61 million in standby funds that are ready to be distributed should the need arise.
The OCD also said that there are 367 houses damaged by the inclement weather, 27 of which were totally damaged, and 340 sustaining partial damages.
Moreover, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that they have recorded 13 casualties and 14 injuries arising from the bad weather, with authorities continuing to search for 9 individuals that reportedly went missing during this period.
Most of these reports came from Region I, CAR, and Region IV-A, with these numbers still undergoing validation as of posting.
Meanwhile, to bolster the administration’s response to the adverse effects of enhanced habagat, Usec. Castro noted the deployment of 3,841 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for possible search and rescue operations.
This is on top of the additional response equipment prepared by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and OCD, as well as 14 air assets and one naval asset. (with report from Bernard Ferrer, PTV News)
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