Damage from Frank hits close to annual average of P15 B

MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon “Frank” has caused damage to the country reaching close to P12 billion, which the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said is near the annual average of P15 billion.

NDCC spokesman Anthony Golez, in an interview over dzRB, said the country should brace for an even higher figure this year since the typhoon season is not halfway through.

“I think we should be bracing for more damage this year,” he said.

The initial assessments made on the damage left behind by typhoon Frank were conservative but now that the NDCC is getting more of the official reports from the affected areas, the figure appears close to the national average.

“If we were to study this closely, the damage suffered by the country from storms usually hits an average of P15 billion,” Golez said.

The biggest damage caused by typhoon Frank on the country was on the agriculture sector, particularly on fisheries because of heavy flooding.

Rice and other food crops were also hit but the figures were not so bad since the storm came right after the harvest season.

Regions 6, 8 and 12 were among the hardest hit by the storm on the third weekend of June and according to Golez, the government is now busy undertaking rehabilitation work in these areas.

Apart from agriculture, the typhoon damaged infrastructure, including bridges and school buildings.

Frank is the sixth typhoon to hit the country this year.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said an average 20 typhoons visit the country annually.

Meantime, President Arroyo got mad Friday over the very slow release of assistance to storm-ravaged Pangasinenses and ordered officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Education (DepEd) to release at the soonest possible time the pledges she made to the province more than a month ago.

The President, who arrived at the newly refurbished capitol building in Pangasinan at around 4:55 p.m. Friday, presided over a meeting of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) headed by Chief Superintendent Romeo Hilomen, regional police director.

Hilomen said Region 1 was badly hit by typhoon “Cosme,” resulting in heavy losses particularly in agriculture and fishery.

Cosme left 42 casualties in the region, he said, while damage was placed at around P5.3 billion.

Frank, on the other hand, left minimal damage to Pangasinan, Hilomen told the President.

He said 4,758 galvanized iron sheets had been delivered to Pangasinan.

“So what happened (with the GI sheets)?” the President asked the RDCC head.

Hilomen then said these were already distributed to beneficiaries in Dagupan City and Bugallon, Dasol and Infanta towns.

DPWH Undersecretary Ramon Aquino added they have delivered 784 GI sheets to Pangasinan’s first district, 3,678 to the second district, and 2,000 to the fourth district, or a total of 6,462 GI sheets.

Aquino said today, there will be a delivery of 118,000 GI sheets for La Union, Zambales and Pangasinan.

The President again inquired when the delivery would be completed and Aquino assured her until end of this month, adding that the delay in the delivery was caused by typhoon Frank.

When Hilomen was to continue giving updates on the rehabilitation efforts in Pangasinan and La Union, an obviously irritated President said, “There are some discussions that are going to happen now which may not always be pleasant so we may have to excuse the media.” The closed-door meeting lasted for an hour.

Sison town Mayor Kimi Cojuangco, wife of Pangasinan fifth district Rep. Mark Cojuangco, confirmed to the local media that the President was indeed angry.

During the meeting, the mayor said she showed the President several pictures of their town, which has not received any help from the national government.

She blamed DepEd Pangasinan II Schools Division Superintendent, lawyer Armando Aquino, for withholding the money already released to him for his area that covers Sison town.

Cojuangco said Education Secretary Jesli Lapus had told her that the money, which is supposed to be spent for the repair of school buildings destroyed by the typhoon, had long been in the hands of Aquino.

“So my last recourse was to tell the President,” Cojuangco said. “Obviously she’s (the President) been told something else.”

She also told the President that the DPWH has also not released any GI sheets to her town.

“So, there’s something going on down below. The money should be going to the people but it is not,” she said.

This made the President angry, according to Cojuangco, and ordered the agencies concerned to release the assistance immediately.

Infanta town Mayor Ruperto Martinez echoed Cojuangco’s  sentiments.

He said up to now, they have received only 358 pieces of GI sheets out of the 16,000 validated needs of his town.

Binmaley town Mayor Simplicio Rosario also said, “She (President Arroyo) probably thought the problem has been solved. So I believe she returned because she wanted to see the actual situation in Pangasinan.”

Last Friday was Mrs. Arroyo’s third visit to Pangasinan after the devastating typhoon.

She had committed to give P500 million worth of GI sheets and other construction materials for poor people whose houses were totally damaged in Zambales, La Union and Pangasinan. With Eva Visperas