The government is expediting the list of families who will receive the P5,000 cash aid due to the effects of Typhoon Odette, Malacanang said Tuesday.
Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the distribution of the cash assistance is similar to the distribution of cash aid under the government’s social amelioration program during the lockdowns due to COVID-19.
He said government agencies aim to finalize the list of beneficiaries on Tuesday and release the list the following day.
“The fund will be downloaded to the local government units monitored by the DSWD and the DILG,” Nograles said, referring to the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
He said it is important to identify within the day who will receive the aid, as these are the most severely affected families.
“We will be relying on the speed and efficiency of the LGUs for the distribution,” Nograles said.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is looking for sources of funds for the assistance, he added.
Nograles said that this P5,000 cash assistance for typhoon-affected families is different from the P5,000 cash shelter assistance to be given by National Housing Authority (NHA).
Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Eduardo del Rosario earlier said that the NHA shelter assistance would be initially provided to 97,500 families Regions 4B, 7, 8, 10 and 13 and will be worth P487.5 million for Regions 4B, 7, 8, 10 and 13.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, meanwhile, said the World Bank released an $80 million (about P4 billion) disaster relief loan to the government through the Bureau of Treasury on Tuesday, which is part of the bank’s $500-million standby credit line extended to the Philippines to support disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts in provinces damaged by typhoon Odette.
He said last week the government will draw another $120 million (about P6 billion) from the same World Bank standby loan facility in the first week of January when the loan cover will be available in the 2022 national budget, bringing the total to $200 million (P10 billion).
A presidential declaration of a state of calamity or a public health emergency is required to trigger the release of the funds available under the $500-million World Bank standby loan facility.
President Duterte declared on Dec. 21 a state of calamity in six Odette-battered areas: Regions 4B (Mimaropa–Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 10 (Northern Mindanao) and 13 (Caraga).
Based on reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as of Dec. 27, damage to public infrastructure due to the typhoon hit P16.7 billion, including roads and bridges, government buildings, schools and utility service facilities.
The typhoon also displaced 571,000 people, with more than half of them staying in 1,179 evacuation centers across the affected areas.
Some e 167,077 houses were destroyed while almost 340,000 were damaged.
The Department of Agriculture said Odette caused P8 billion worth of damage to agriculture.
The amount includes production losses of 171,222 metric tons (MT) and 341,280 hectares of agricultural areas in CALABARZON, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, SOCCSKSARGEN, and Caraga.
The calamity affected 68,991 farmers and fishermen.
Rice, corn, high value crops, coconut, livestock, and fisheries were all affected.
On Tuesday, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines reported that the Mabinay-Bayawan 69kV line serving parts of Negros Oriental was restored on Dec. 27, four days ahead of its target restoration date.
The restored transmission line, which was damaged by typhoon Odette, now services the customers of Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative I (Mabinay) and II (Banaba, Bayawan, and Sta. Catalina).
To date, NGCP has restored around 86 percent of its damaged transmission network as it has deployed 1,100 personnel to conduct restoration works for remaining transmission facilities affected by Typhoon Odette.
Based on aerial and foot assessment as of Dec. 25, NGCP said a total of 95 transmission lines were affected, wherein 12 towers and 818 poles were damaged.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Tuesday raised its count of the number of families affected by Typhoon Odette to 1,082,910.
In its latest situation report, the NDRRMC said this is equivalent to 4,235,400 persons residing in 6,115 barangays located in 11 regions in the country.
The affected barangays are from the Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Also, the NDRRMC reported that 1,201 evacuation centers are now aiding and sheltering 75,731 families while another 74,9254 families are being aided outside, with the remainder staying with relatives and friends.
The number of reported deaths has climbed to 397, along with 83 missing and 1,147 injured. Of these, 59 deaths, eight missing, and 74 injuries have already been confirmed.
A total of 284 cities and municipalities experienced power outages or interruption in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Caraga, and the BARMM. Power has been restored in 161 cities and municipalities as of this time.
Meanwhile, a total of 18 cities and municipalities experienced water supply outages or interruptions in Mimaropa, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga while water supply has been restored in one locality.
A total of 371 cities and municipalities experienced interruption in telecommunications services in Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, and the BARMM. Telecommunications services have been fully restored in 115 cities and municipalities.
Meanwhile, damage to infrastructure was placed at PHP16.7 billion in Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, and the Caraga.
The estimated cost of damage to agriculture was placed at P5.34 billion and these were sustained inCalabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, and Caraga.