Maring’s damage to agriculture, infrastructure hits P400 M

MANILA, Philippines - The southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Storm Maring has damaged P400 million in agriculture and infrastructure, latest reports from disaster management offices showed.

Damage in agriculture accounted for P325.92 million while the amount of damaged infrastructure reached P74.809 million.

Central Luzon bore the brunt in terms of agriculture damage with P212.09 million, according to the report by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 3. Agriculture damage in Bataan alone soared to P72.149 million.

Agriculture damage in Calabarzon region (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) hit P8.151 million, latest data by the OCD Region 4 showed. The amount does not include the damaged hectares of forest and fruit-bearing trees under the National Greening Program worth P282,000.

The amount of agriculture damage incurred by the Ilocos region reached P95.438 million while that of Mimaropa (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan) and Cordillera Administrative Region amounted to P5.456 million and P4.5 million, respectively.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the amount of damaged infrastructure has risen to P74.809 million.

Mimaropa accounted for P56.58 million of the damaged structures while Calabarzon sustained P18.23 million.

NDRRMC said a total of P1.93 million people or 402,415 families have been affected by the floods and heavy rains caused by the monsoon.

The bad weather also displaced 600,822 persons nationwide. Of this figure, 45,766 families or 200,060 persons are still inside 675 evacuation centers while 400,762 individuals or 77,348 opted to stay in the houses of their relatives or friends.

The death toll from the monsoon rains is at 21 while 41 others were injured. Four persons remain missing.

The NDRRMC said the floods and rains damaged 231 houses in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Cordillera.

A total of 29 roads in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Cordillera and Metro Manila remain impassable as of yesterday.

Five provinces, eight cities, 10 municipalities and two barangays have been placed under state of calamity.

The provinces that declared a state of calamity were Bataan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal while the cities that made the declaration were Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Malabon, Marikina, Pasay in Metro Manila; Candon City in Ilocos Sur, Dagupan City in Pangasinan, and Tarlac City.

The municipalities that have been placed under state of calamity were Pateros in Metro Manila, the towns of Lidlida, Narvacan, Gregorio del Pilar and Sta. Maria in Ilocos Sur, the towns of Sta. Barbara and Calasiao in Pangasinan, Obando and Hagonoy in Bulacan and Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro. The barangays that made the declaration were Victoria and Lagnas in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Rhodina Villanueva, Dino Balabo, Ed Amoroso, Raymund Catindig, Ric Sapnu, Charlie Lagasca, Teddy Molina