Total losses of the agriculture sector to killer Typhoon Odette ballooned to P9 billion as of December 31, 2021, in an updated report released by the Department of Agriculture Friday.
Damage and losses have been reported in the regions of Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.
About 132,658 farmers and fishers were seriously affected by the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in years.
Based on the regional reports collated by the DA regional field units the volume of production loss was at 194,671 metric tons and about 351,932 hectares of agricultural areas suffered massive destruction.
The values are still subject for validation since unreported cases may still bring damages to higher levels.
Damaged commodities include rice, corn, high value crops, coconut, sugarcane, livestock, and fisheries. Damage has also been incurred in agricultural infrastructures, machineries, and equipment. values are subject to validation.
Prior to the arrival of Odette, the 15th cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, farmers were able to harvest 34,433 MT of rice valued at P616.53 million total from 11,454 hectares of rice fields In have Mimaropa and Regions VI, VIII, IX, XI, and XIII.
Harvested corn crop amounted to 6,965 MT with a value of P82.55 million in Region IV-A, Mimaropa, Regions VIII, IX, XI, and XIII.
The Agriculture Regional Field Offices is still conducting assessment of damage and losses in the agri-fisheries sector.
The DA continuously coordinates with concerned government agencies, local government, and the Disaster Risk Management on the impact of Odette, as well as available resources for interventions and assistance.
So far, the DA has disbursed at least P2.9 billion in readily-available assistance to affected farmers and fisherfolk.
Of these, P1 billion was allocated for Quick Response Fund to rehabilitate affected areas; P828 million from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to indemnify affected farmers; P500 million under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Assistance Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) for 20,000 farmers and fisherfolk at P25,000 each; P314 million worth of rice seeds; P129 million for provision of corn seeds as well as P57 million worth of assorted vegetables.
About P47 million worth of assistance was extended to affected fisherfolk from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources; P6.6 million allocated for replenishment of animal stocks, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry; and undisclosed support fund from the Philippine Coconut Authority.
Confirmed deaths
The number of confirmed deaths due to Odette has climbed to 75, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported on Friday, far lower than the unofficial preliminary estimates of nearly 400 soon after Odette left the Philippines.
In its New Year’s Eve update, the NDRRMC also confirmed that 74 were injured and 12 went missing due to the typhoon.
Eight of the confirmed dead were from Mimaropa, 46 from Western Visayas, two from Central Visayas, 15 from Eastern Visayas, and four
from Northern Mindanao.
Still undergoing validation are reports of 330 deaths, 1,073 injured, and 70 missing.
Evacuation centers
Meanwhile, 1,325 evacuation centers are sheltering and aiding 83,960 families while 45,268 more families are being assisted outside
evacuation centers, with the remainder being helped by relatives and friends.
The NDRRMC also reported that 165 areas in Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, and BARMM continue to experience communication outages while communication lines in 79 areas have been restored as of this posting.
Power supply has been restored in 205 cities and municipalities out of the 284 earlier reported experiencing electrical outages.
As this developed, the Philippine Army sent 21 truckloads of relief goods to the Visayas and Mindanao on December 30.
France sends support
The French government has earmarked EUR2 million (approximately P115.5 million) to support the ongoing relief efforts in the Visayas and
Mindanao following the destruction brought by Odette.
“Following the damage caused by Super Typhoon Odette (international name Rai), which has claimed nearly 400 victims and displaced tens of thousands of people in the Philippines, France stands alongside the Filipino people,” the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The French Embassy in Manila said at least EUR1 million of the funding would be coursed through the French non-government organization ACTED and the French Red Cross in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross.
“This aid includes the distribution of several thousand family and hygiene kits, as well as material for the emergency rehabilitation of
destroyed or damaged houses in the provinces of Surigao Del Norte, Palawan, and Bohol,” it said.
Disaster funds
At least P27 billion in disaster response-related funds is available in the newly signed 2022 national budget to aid millions of victims of
Odette, a congressional leader said on Friday.
“Our people in Mindanao, the Visayas and in Southern Luzon suffering in the aftermath of the recent strong typhoon are still waiting for
government assistance,” Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said.
“We should help them rebuild their homes, livelihood, their communities, and their lives,” the representative of Cagayan de Oro’s
second district said.
Rodriguez pointed out that there was a P7-billion contingent or contingency fund in the 2022 budget that the government can use to
help Odette victims.
Another source is the P20-billion national disaster risk reduction and management fund, he added.
Maritime vessels
A House leader is set to file a bill to commandeer ships to suspend transport charges and truck bans, and ease regulatory requirements in calamity areas.
Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, chairman of the House committee on transportation, said the transportation and distribution of immediate relief during calamities and the deployment of first responders were critical items in disaster response.
But he said this “is usually impeded by the lack of proximate and available government assets that could be immediately deployed in
disaster areas.”
Sarmiento expressed gratitude to the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy for having been the frontline responders especially in the delivery of reliefs. He was quick to say however the need to tap into the existing maritime fleets of the private sector is necessary to increase the government’s capacity to deliver aid and support during disaster situations.
As a country geographically situated in the Pacific Typhoon Belt, Sarmiento noted that “the Philippines is on the direct path of some of
the world’s record-breaking typhoons with an average of 24 typhoons entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility annually. This is even
aggravated by the fact that the country’s archipelagic nature makes it difficult to move people and logistics during disaster situations.”
Disaster department
Meanwhile, a legislator has vowed to continue pushing for the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience so that the government can be more organized in its response to calamities.
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano made the statement following Odette’s trail of destruction from December 16 to 18, which left P585.8 million
in damage to infrastructure and P6 billion in damage to agriculture.
Cayetano was one of the principal authors of House Bill 5989 and led its approval as Speaker in September 2020. The Senate version of the measure, however, remains pending up to now.
Under HB 5989, the DDR will be the primary government agency responsible for leading, organizing, and managing the national effort
to reduce disaster risk, prepare for and respond to disasters, recover, and rehabilitate, and build forward better after the
occurrence of disasters.