Monsoon death toll now 27 – PNP

MANILA, Philippines — At least 27 people have died, 18 were injured and two remain missing as widespread flooding, landslides and infrastructure damage brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon continued to affect the country, the Philippine National Police reported yesterday.

In its 10 a.m. bulletin, the PNP said 55 people had been rescued while 14,437 people were displaced and staying in evacuation centers. Of the 34,661 evacuation centers identified nationwide, 244 were occupied.

The PNP deployed 166 personnel, including 117 assigned to evacuation centers, to assist affected communities, while the Reactionary Standby Support Force has deployed 10,785 personnel as part of the government’s response to the enhanced monsoon.

Recovering

In the Cordillera, authorities remained on heightened alert as continuing rains slowed recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclones Maymay and Dolphin.

The latest report from the Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed that 164,491 people in 412 barangays were affected by the weather disturbances.

Infrastructure damage has reached P1.646 billion, while the government and its partners have provided P31.1 million in assistance to affected communities.

Recovery efforts remain hampered by continuing rain, with five road sections still impassable, including portions of Kennon Road and roads in Itogon, La Trinidad and Daclan in Benguet and Tanudan in Kalinga. Clearing and road restoration operations are ongoing.

At least 140 people remained in 15 evacuation centers while 789 were staying with relatives and friends.

Landslide alert

The continuing downpour has raised concerns over soil erosion and landslides in Baguio City, where nearly three weeks of rain have left the ground heavily saturated.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city had experienced almost 17 days of continuous rainfall, with only brief periods of sunshine.

More than 1,490 millimeters of rain was recorded from Aug. 1 to 10 alone, already surpassing Baguio’s usual monthly August average of 963 millimeters.

With the ground saturated, Magalong urged residents, particularly those living along slopes, to closely inspect their surroundings for cracks, soil movement and other warning signs of possible landslides.

He called on residents to immediately report hazardous conditions through the 911 emergency hotline to allow responders to assess and address potential threats before they worsen.

Despite the prolonged rains and their impact, Magalong said there was still no need to declare a state of calamity, noting that the city has sufficient funds to respond. — Ric Sapnu, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Rudy Santos