Milenyo’s P6.5-B damage surpasses destruction of past calamities — NDCC

A whopping P6.5-billion worth of damage to public and private property caused by typhoon "Milenyo" surpassed all other destruction left by calamities experienced by the country in the last two years, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported yesterday.

With this, Defense Secretary and NDCC chairman Avelino Cruz Jr. called anew for international and local assistance to rehabilitate affected infrastructure and agriculture in the aftermath of Milenyo’s wrath.

At the same time, the NDCC also appealed to President Arroyo and Congress to include P600 million in the government’s annual budget in disaster and calamity funds to augment the agency’s P700-million yearly outlay.

During a meeting with heads of other concerned agencies and representatives of the Red Crescent and the International Red Cross, Cruz said Milenyo caused so much devastation in Metro Manila and the eastern Luzon provinces.

"We agreed to hold this meeting cum press conference to publicize our appeal at the NDCC including our partners in the Red Cross and in the Red Crescent to communicate in the public mind that typhoon Milenyo had caused a lot of damage," Cruz said.

He wrote a letter-appeal to United Nations resident coordinator Nileema Noble, as he expressed hope that foreign support in the ongoing government’s rebuilding and rehabilitation efforts would soon come.

"The Philippine government is appealing once again for international assistance. Recalling the timely and valuable assistance extended by the UN and international agencies during the flashfloods of November-December 2004 and the Guinsaugon, Southern Leyte landslide of February 2006. We trust that the same help shall be forthcoming," Cruz in the letter.

For now, Cruz said that with the NDCC’s budget of P700 million already wiped out in relief assistance and in rescue and disaster operations, rehabilitation works on damaged roads and highways and schoolhouses and other government establishments are being addressed by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Education.

Sen. Richard Gordon, president of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), who was also at the NDCC meeting held at Camp Aguinaldo, said he is endorsing the budget proposals of the disaster body brought up by Social Welfare Secretary Elizabeth Cabral.

"I will endorse the proposal for the passage of a law that would include P600 million in the annual government budget for disaster. In fact it was my idea," Gordon said.

NDCC administrator retired Army Maj. Gen. Glenn Rabonza, in a consolidated disaster report, said that seven regions, 19 provinces and 4,435 communities were heavily affected by Milenyo.

Rabonza said the number of lives lost to Milenyo’s fury totaled 184 people, mostly in Southern Tagalog and Bicol Region while 117,429 houses were totally damaged.

"During its (disaster’s) peak, 49,199 families were being served in 440 evacuation centers. Now that those numbers have gone down significantly, the NDCC has started to focus its response beyond relief," Rabonza said.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban expressed confidence that the government could stick to its rice production targets of more than 15 million metric tons this year despite the devastation to crops wrought by typhoon Milenyo.

Panganiban said the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics of the Department of Agriculture has forecast a national production of 15.4 million tons of rice this year "because of good rainfall." — Jaime Laude, Katherine Adraneda